Desk workers: improve vascular health by walking
A study done at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have found that when a person sits for six hours, vascular function is impaired; but vascular health can be restored by just walking for 10 minutes after a prolonged period of sitting.
World over, many employees continue to sit at desks for long periods of time. The impact of sitting on vascular health is a rising concern as technology creates an increase in sedentary lifestyles.
‘It’s easy for all of us to be consumed by work and lose track of time, subjecting ourselves to prolonged periods of inactivity,’ said Jaume Padilla, Ph.D., an assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the MU School of Medicine and lead author of the study.
‘However, our study found that when you sit for six straight hours, or the majority of an eight-hour work day, blood flow to your legs is greatly reduced. We also found that just 10 minutes of walking after sitting for an extended time reversed the detrimental consequences.’
‘When you have decreased blood flow, the friction of the flowing blood on the artery wall, called shear stress, is also reduced,’ Padilla said.
‘Moderate levels of shear stress are good for arterial health, whereas low levels of shear stress appear to be detrimental and reduce the ability of the artery to dilate. Dilation is a sign of vascular health. The more the artery can dilate and respond to stimuli, the healthier it is.’
Today, many workplaces are sedentary environments, and the researchers said it’s important that people and decision-makers alike understand the effects of sitting on their vascular health.
It is so important to break up desk time with a short walk so that harm caused to vascular blood vessels could be mitigated.
‘Studies have shown that sitting less can lead to better metabolic and cardiovascular health, however, more research is needed to determine if repeated periods of reduced vascular function with prolonged sitting lead to long-term vascular complications,’ Padilla said.
A short walk around the office can restore vascular ill-health caused by hours of sitting hours at a computer!
