Prolonged sitting is an epidemic of our time… and simple foods may reduce its risks Lifestyle

“Sitting is the villain of the age, the arch enemy whose charm must be resisted, unless we want an early brush with death,” says satirist Luis Prada on Vice.

Sedentary behavior has become an established part of the modern lifestyle, as young people today sit approximately 6 hours a day, while the average American spends about 9.5 hours sitting. Although prolonged sitting is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, according to data from the University of Birmingham.

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Despite decades of expert advice that emphasized the necessity of movement, exercise, stretching, and even standing to reduce the effects of sitting, individuals’ behavior has not changed much. However, a recent study prepared by researchers at the University of Birmingham, published late last October, provided a new glimmer of hope.

The study concluded that there is a way that can mitigate the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, and reduce the risks of prolonged sitting, by consuming foods and drinks rich in flavanols, which are natural compounds found in many fruits, vegetables, and plants and are known for their benefits to the heart and blood vessels.

These foods include: apples, berries, grapes, plums, cabbage, and nuts, in addition to black and green tea, and unsweetened cocoa.

The dangers of sitting for long periods

Sitting for more than 6 to 8 hours a day, “even with regular exercise,” may increase your risk of:

• The incidence of cardiovascular disease increases by up to 150%.
• High blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and poor circulation.
• Type 2 diabetes.
• Early death.

Studies also indicate – according to Davis – that “the risks of chronic sitting are equivalent to the risks of smoking or obesity, and that just two hours of continuous sitting can reduce the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain.” In addition to negatively affecting muscle strength and body posture, this causes “feelings of fatigue and lower back pain.”

A feeding pattern to overcome the effects of sitting

Dr. Katarina Rindero, associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Birmingham, and the leader of the study, explained to the American magazine “Newsweek” that whether we are sitting at our desks, in the car or train, or on the sofa reading a book or watching television, we “spend a long time sitting, putting our bodies under pressure and exposing them to stress, even though we are not moving.”

This increases the importance of finding ways to mitigate the harmful effects of sitting on the body’s arteries, and help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, “through the use of sitting nutrition as a strategy to reduce these effects.” She added that this can help us pay attention to what we eat and drink, “during periods when we have to sit uninterrupted for a long time.” This is what the study reached through the following path:

• The researchers divided 40 healthy men, between the ages of 18 and 45, into two groups: a high-fitness group and a low-fitness group.
• Half of them drank a flavanol-rich cocoa drink (containing 695 milligrams of flavanols), while the other half drank a low-flavanol placebo drink (containing only 5.6 milligrams of flavanols).
• Afterwards, all participants sat inactive for 2 hours.
• The researchers measured the function of blood vessels in their arms and legs, to assess how well their arteries were able to dilate and contract to maintain blood flow.
• The researchers found that exercisers who drank low-flavanol cocoa experienced a decrease in vascular function, blood flow and muscle oxygenation. But those who drank flavanol-rich cocoa had fine arteries after two hours of sitting.

Physical fitness alone is not enough to confront the dangers of sitting

While the study highlights that “simple daily food choices can play a role in protecting heart health during periods of inactivity, such as long meetings or office work.” Dr. Rendero says: These flavanol-rich foods are useful in countering the effects of excessive sitting, “by maintaining the health of the blood vessels in the arms and legs while sitting, in healthy men, regardless of their level of physical fitness.” Especially when taken two hours before sitting.

Dr. Sam Lucas, Professor of Cerebral Physiology, Exercise and Environment at the University of Birmingham, and co-researcher of the study, confirmed that the researchers found:

• Individuals can benefit from consuming flavanols regardless of their level of physical fitness.
• Physical fitness alone did not save blood vessels from the dangers of sitting in a chair for two hours, but drinking hundreds of milligrams of cocoa did.

Lucas explained, “The study did not include women, because hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle may distort the effect of flavanols on blood vessel health,” which requires another future study.

The importance of balance between sitting, standing and walking

Dr. Davis says, “Doing one intense workout in the morning does not replace 10 hours of sitting, and it is necessary to stand, walk, and stretch throughout the day.”

Therefore, she recommends setting your phone as a reminder to “get up and move around for at least 5 minutes every hour,” or use a treadmill, or take a walk while talking on the phone, stressing that this “may address the negatives of sitting.”

Although Dr. Andrea Z. Lacroix, professor of epidemiology at the University of California, believes that “getting up 3 times every hour is better than getting up only once every hour.”

Dr. Davis adds that “standing for at least two hours a day burns more calories than sitting,” but she warns against standing for long periods of time continuously, which can lead to “muscle fatigue, joint pressure, and back pain,” and stresses that a balance between sitting, standing, and walking is “the most sustainable and healthy approach.”