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Sedentary Behavior Is Linked to Shorter Life Expectancy
Sitting daily for less than 3 hours and watching TV for less than2 hours extends life expectancy by an estimated 1 to 2 years.
Adverse effects of sedentary behaviors on health outcomes are well known, but what are the effects on life expectancy? Investigators used data from five prospective cohort studies and from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to estimate the effect of sitting and television viewing on life expectancy at birth in the U.S. population.
The pooled relative risks for all-cause mortality associated with sitting for 3 to 5 hours or for 6 hours daily were 18% and 45% higher, respectively, than that for sitting
Comment: In this analysis, sedentary people, on average, lived 1 to 2 years less than active people. However, given the study design, the analysis does not prove a cause-and-effect relation. Nevertheless, the results are biologically plausible, and individual patients should be advised to avoid sedentary behaviors.
— Paul S. Mueller, MD, MPH, FACP Published inJournal Watch General MedicineAugust 7, 2012