Standing has been proven to lower an individual's Body Mass Index (BMI), and also reduce the risk of heart disease, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though BMI is not necessarily diagnostic of body fatness or the overall health of an individual, still it is "an inexpensive and easy-to-perform method of screening for weight category."
The CDC further states that "BMI appears to be as strongly correlated with various metabolic and disease outcome as are these more direct measures of body fatness;" thus, a lower BMI may mean fewer risks of diseases related to fatness and sedentary living.
Changes in sedentary lifestyles will help people in dramatic ways.
The study found that replacing time spent sitting down with time spent standing up apparently appears to improve blood sugar levels as well as fats and cholesterol.
The study involved 782 Australian adults, aged 36 to 80, who were asked to wear a device that would monitor their activity during a specified period. Blood samples were then collected and analyzed.
Results showed that increases in "stepping" (walking, actual activity) times replacing standing times, were directly linked to lower BMI, and blood glucose levels. A two-hour standing time that replaced sitting time was also significantly associated with lower BMI, and blood glucose levels.
Though replacing two hours of sitting time with stepping time yields great health results, the researchers found that replacing sitting times with even just normal standing does significant benefits.
"These findings provide important preliminary evidence on the potential benefits of standing for cardio-metabolic risk biomarkers," said the study, reports MSN.
Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, from the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic and Mayo College of Medicine in Rochester, MN, states in his European Heart Journal report that the said study "provides an important addition to the wealth of scientific evidence highlighting the importance of avoiding sedentary behaviour."
"With the growing epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in the world, there is an urgent need for simple, pragmatic, and scalable recommendations to decrease sedentary behaviour in the population," he adds.
As such, simple changes in lifestyle, like standing up while at work, will do wonders for the general public's health.
"It is unrealistic to expect people in extreme climates to jog outdoors year-round or to expect most of the population to buy exercise equipment for home use," Lopez-Jimenez says.
"A person walking while at work for 2 hours, standing for another 4 hours, and performing some daily chores at home for another hour will burn more calories than jogging or running for 60 min," he adds.
