Is Sitting the New Smoking?

You have no doubt heard this phrase. Every major new outlet has picked this up and run with it. Do we need a ball chair, expensive ergonomic wonder chair, treadmill desk, standing desk or all of the above? Let's talk about how this notion came about.

Just the Facts

James Levine of the Mayo Clinic was looking at the question of why do some people consume the same amount of food as others gain weight? His study added 1,000 calories per day to a group of people and some of them gained weight and some didn't. He began looking for some biological marker that would explain the difference between the two groups. After years of investigations and further trials, he was not able to find any magic marker.

Movement Related to Weight Control-Big Surprise

He did notice that with his daily movement monitor, the participants who moved more (not necessarily exercised more) gained less weight. He measured things like fidgeting, getting up and down, doing chores etc were the people who gained less weight.

He concluded that the more sedentary people are, the more likely they are to gain weight which then puts them at higher risk for some health conditions.

Media Goes Nuts

If you do an internet search for ""sitting is the new smoking"" you will get something like 6 million hits, 2 million news articles, 2.5 million videos along with associated memes and cartoons most of which warn that you are going to die from sitting.

You would think you are about to quickly develop kidney disease, varicose veins, sciatica, breast cancer, colon cancer all contributing in $24 billion in health care costs, all due to sitting.

For those still with me, it is time to take a deep breath.

Facts Don't Support Sitting and Health Risk

There is no debate that obesity does no favors for your physiology and chances of a healthy life. However, there is NO inherent risk in sitting. It is not dangerous in itself.

So how is it that the media has us already doomed?This is too typical a pattern. A research study gets picked up by a ""news site"" and different marketing groups pounce on the story and spin the hype to new levels. This will help their company sell you new products and help their bottom line. They will continually quote the research to validate their reasons why you must buy their wares.

JAMA Famous For Helping The Spin

The Journal of the American Medical Association is famous for this. They produce a ""research"" article that shows the benefits of a particular drug, they then notify the pharmaceutical company who purchases tens of thousands of reprints to distribute at conferences and to their reps to give to doctors. Of course, lots of press releases go out along with media outlets picking up the more sensational news to pass along.

Take Some Breaks

Conclusions?? Move in your seat. Change sitting positions. Get up more frequently from your desk, your couch and take a few more breaks on road trips. Also don't get your health news from major media outlets unless to you are willing to spend some time digging for the truth.

Also worth mentioning is that smoking is not part of your job but sitting is for many occupations.