Mounting evidence suggests that sitting for long periods - which is now commonplace in modern life - is dangerous to your health, even if you exercise regularly.

Based on these results, doctors advise all adults to sit less and move more.

But how often do we need to get up from our seats?

And for how long?

A few studies have compared multiple options to find the answer most office workers want: What is the least amount of activity needed to counteract the health impact of a sedentary workday?

Only 5 minutes of walking

The answer is with a study conducted by scientists at Columbia University in the United States, published in the Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, and written about by the Eurekalert website.

The researchers found that just 5 minutes of walking every half hour during periods of prolonged sitting could offset some of the most harmful effects.

The study tested 5 different exercises: one minute of walking after every 30 minutes of sitting, and one minute after every 60 minutes;

5 minutes every 30 minutes;

5 minutes every 60 minutes;

And not walking.

Each of the 11 adults who participated in the study came to the lab, where the participants sat in a comfortable chair for 8 hours, getting up only to eat a prescribed snack of walking on a treadmill or taking a bathroom break.

The researchers monitored each participant to ensure they were not exercising too much or too little, and periodically measured the participants' blood pressure and blood sugar (key indicators of cardiovascular health).

Participants were allowed to work on a laptop, read and use their phones during the sessions and were provided with standard meals.

The researchers found that the optimal amount of movement was 5 minutes of walking every 30 minutes.

This was the only amount that significantly lowered blood sugar and blood pressure.

In addition, this walking regimen had a significant impact on how participants responded to large meals, reducing spikes in blood sugar by 58% compared to sitting all day.

Taking a 1-minute break from walking every 30 minutes also provided modest benefits for blood sugar levels throughout the day, while walking every 60 minutes (either for 1 minute or 5 minutes) provided no benefit.

blood pressure

All amounts of walking significantly lowered blood pressure by 4 to 5 mm Hg compared to sitting all day.

"This is a significant decrease, comparable to the decrease you would expect from exercising every day for 6 months," said study leader Dr Keith Diaz.

The researchers also periodically measured the participants' levels of mood, fatigue, and cognitive performance during the test.

All of the walking regimens, except for walking one minute every hour, resulted in a significant reduction in fatigue and a significant improvement in mood.

None of the walking regimens affected cognition.

"The effects on mood and fatigue are important," says Diaz. "People tend to repeat behaviors that make them feel good and that are pleasurable."

He adds, "What we now know is that for optimal health, you need to move regularly at work, in addition to getting daily exercise.. Although this may seem impractical, our findings show that even small amounts of walking during A working day can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases.