Technology Slice Blog

Short Breaks from Sitting Smaller Waist - We all know that too little exercise can pack on the pounds and contribute to heart disease and other ills, but a new study published in the European Heart Journal on Jan. 12 shows that we can even cause ourselves harm simply by sitting for too long without moving. And what office worker doesn't spend much of the day in that position? The study was the first to look at the heart health consequences of prolonged sitting among a large and diverse group. Researchers collated data from 4,757 participants who were all part of the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2003 and 2006. The subjects wore accelerometers which measure the intensity of their physical activity 14.6 hours a day for seven days. Investigators then measured waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and C-reactive protein concentrations to determine heart health. In a subset of the group, they also measured markers of diabetes: levels...