Prolonged standing no better for health than long periods of sitting, study finds

The University of Sydney-led study analysed data collected from more than 80,000 UK-based adults over a period of eight years. It found that standing still for prolonged periods, as opposed to sitting, does not improve cardiovascular health and could increase the risk of issues such as varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis.

Photograph: iStock/martin-md

“The key takeaway is that standing for too long will not offset an otherwise sedentary lifestyle and could be risky for some people in terms of circulatory health,” said Dr Matthew Ahmadi from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine and Health.

Instead of replacing long periods of sitting with long periods of standing, Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub, recommends including “plenty of incidental movement” throughout the day.

“Take regular breaks, walk around, go for a walking meeting, use the stairs, take regular breaks when driving long distances, or use that lunch hour to get away from the desk and do some movement,” said Professor Stamatakis.

Research published earlier this year by Professor Stamatakis and Dr Ahmadi found that taking six minutes of vigorous exercise or 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise each day could help lower the risk of heart disease, even in people who are highly sedentary for more than 11 hours a day.

Standing desks have grown in popularity as office workers who sit in front of computers for hours on end have sought alternative ways of working that are perceived as being healthier than long periods of sitting. But as Gavin Bradley, founding director of the Active Working community interest group and chief wellness officer at Yo-Yo Office, wrote in Safety Management earlier this year, the use of standing desks should be combined with light exercise and sitting throughout the day.

In a list of four recommendations to workers with sedentary jobs, Bradley wrote: “Avoid prolonged static standing, which may be as harmful as prolonged sitting. Employees should also alter their posture and undertake light walking to alleviate possible musculoskeletal pain and fatigue as part of the adaptive process.”