Sitting Too Much Could Increase Risk of Heart Failure for Men

Sitting Too Much Could Increase Risk of Heart Failure for Men

Article
Heart & Vascular Health
Men's Health
+1
Contributed byMaulik P. Purohit MD MPHApr 15, 2017

Researchers from Kaiser Permanente Southern California have concluded that older men who spend most of their day sitting around are more likely to face heart failure later in life. Heart failure is the inability of the heart muscle to effectively pump blood throughout the body.

Published in Circulation: Heart Failure, their research included more than 82,000 men between the ages of 45 and 69 from the California’s Men’s Heath Study. None of the men had heart failure at the beginning of the study, but those who engaged in a more sedentary lifestyle had a higher risk of heart failure, even if they exercised.

Senior scientist at Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena, California and author Debora Rohm Young said, "Men with low levels of physical activity were 52 percent more likely to develop heart failure than men with higher levels of physical activity." She also added those who spent at least five hours each day sitting were 34 percent more likely to have heart failure compared to those who spent less than two hours each day.

"Those who had low physical activity -- who sat a lot and got little exercise -- were more than twice as likely to have heart failure compared to those who were active and had not very much sitting time outside of work," Young noted.

According to the American Heart Association, approximately 20 percent of adults will be diagnosed with heart failure during their lifetime. "It affects a lot of people. Of those who have heart failure, about half will die within five years of being diagnosed, but it is associated with a reduced quality of life.", Young said.

Dr. Chip Lavie, medical director of cardiac rehabilitation and prevention at the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, in New Orleans, praises the paper for showing the importance of physical activity for the reduction of heart failure. He also suspects that these results are the same for women.

Young advises people to sit less and move more. "Walking is the best exercise for the majority of people. Brisk walking. Thirty minutes a day is wonderful."

Additional Resource:

Young, D. R., Reynolds, K., Sidell, M., Brar, S., Ghai, N. R., Sternfeld, B., ... & Quinn, V. P. (2014). Effects of physical activity and sedentary time on the risk of heart failure. Circulation: Heart Failure7(1), 21-27.

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Maulik P. Purohit MD MPH

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