Prolonged periods of sitting, especially for extended periods, are associated with increased heart health risk in postmenopausal women. A recent study examined the sitting habits of 102 Hispanic women and 416 non-Hispanic women to shed light on this issue. It’s worth noting that women generally face an elevated risk of cardiovascular symptoms after menopause, as age is a common factor influencing cardiovascular health.
Exercise offers numerous health advantages, such as lowering the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, enhancing bone strength, and promoting mental well-being. However, even regular exercise may only partially counteract the adverse health consequences of prolonged sitting, a common aspect of modern, technology-driven, sedentary lifestyles.
A newly conducted study lends further credence to the notion that our contemporary sedentary way of life, characterized by extensive screen time, is detrimental to our health, elevating the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The research revealed that postmenopausal women, particularly those with overweight or obesity, who spent more time sitting during the day or engaged in prolonged sitting, exhibited unfavorable metabolic risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. This trend was evident in both Hispanic and non-Hispanic older women, albeit with some distinctions between the two groups.
Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a preventive cardiologist based in New York and a prominent advocate for the Go Red for Women campaign, emphasized the significance of this study’s findings regarding the adverse impact of prolonged sitting on heart health. She was not involved in the study’s research efforts.
Sedentary Lifestyle Associated with Elevated Heart Disease Risk
The recent study delved into the sitting habits of 102 Hispanic women and 416 non-Hispanic women, all of whom were postmenopausal and had overweight or obesity. Data about these women were drawn from three research projects, with wearable activity monitors consistently employed to gauge their sedentary behavior.
Researchers assessed the overall duration of daily sitting and the average duration of individual sitting sessions. Postmenopausal women were chosen for this investigation because older individuals in the United States are known to exhibit high levels of sedentary behavior.
Moreover, the study concentrated on postmenopausal women because cardiovascular symptoms become more prominent after menopause. This escalation in cardiovascular risk among older women may be attributable to the declining levels of the natural hormone estrogen. Intriguingly, despite this age-related increase in cardiovascular risk, older women are generally more physically active than their male counterparts.
The study revealed that women who spent more time sitting each day or engaged in prolonged sitting sessions displayed less favorable biomarkers linked to cardiovascular disease. These biomarkers included measurements of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, fasting glucose levels, insulin resistance, and triglyceride levels.
The impact was more pronounced in women with obesity compared to those with overweight status.
This association between a sedentary lifestyle and the risk of cardiovascular disease persisted even after researchers considered the women’s physical activity levels.
This implies that an increased risk of cardiovascular disease was linked to prolonged sitting, even in women who engaged in regular exercise.
Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum emphasizes distinguishing between physical activity and extended sitting time when considering heart health.
“Can exercise compensate for prolonged periods of sitting? The answer is no,” she remarked. “That’s why standing up and moving more frequently throughout the day is essential.”
The authors of this recent study suggest that healthcare professionals, including physicians, should make more concerted efforts to promote increased physical activity and reduce prolonged sitting.
The study was published on February 17 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Strive for increased activity throughout the day.
Researchers also explored whether sitting behavior affected Hispanic women differently from non-Hispanic women.
On average, Hispanic women spent less time sitting during the day and had shorter sitting sessions compared to non-Hispanic women.
Both groups exhibited a connection between extended periods of sedentary behavior and unfavorable cardiovascular disease indicators.
However, the link between the duration of sitting sessions and fasting blood glucose levels was more pronounced in Hispanic women than in non-Hispanic women.
This aligns with a previous study that found self-reported sedentary behavior was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, with variations observed among racial and ethnic groups.
Conversely, the link between total sitting time and BMI was stronger for non-Hispanic women than Hispanic women.
Due to the study’s design, researchers could not assert that increased sitting time directly causes the deterioration of these biomarkers; they could only establish a connection between the two.
Nonetheless, laboratory studies have revealed that regularly interrupting prolonged sitting sessions can improve health markers such as glucose control and lipid metabolism.
Some studies suggest that incorporating movement breaks every 30 minutes can be beneficial.
Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum recommends walking up and down a flight of stairs to elevate your heart rate simultaneously.
“Because of the significant impact of sitting on metabolism and heart disease risk factors, physical activity should be integrated into our daily lives, not just during intentional exercise,” she emphasized.