People who sit for hours on desks or watch television need to exercise for more than 30 minutes a day to avoid health risks, according to an Australian study.
The study was conducted by the University of Sydney, and the results showed that those who sat more than six hours a day without exercise increased the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, compared to those who exercise for an hour per day.
The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, included a sample of 150,000 people over the age of 45, which lasted nine years.
A normal Australian worker spends more than six hours a day sitting, which researchers classify as "long periods".
High sitting time was associated with health problems, including cancer, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and even depression.
It turns out that standing lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease for those who sit four hours a day or less, but it has limited effect for those who sit longer.
Those who sit for long periods of time and exercise for 20 to 40 minutes a day, such as walking or climbing stairs, have a significantly lower health risk.
"Study time was consistent with early death and cardiovascular mortality in the less physically active groups," said lead researcher Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis.
For example, those who were physically inactive who sat for more than eight hours a day were 107% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those who had been physically active for at least one hour a day and sat for less than four hours.
Stamatakis concluded that "any movement is good for health," indicating that intensive physical activity is most effective.