Sitting for long periods seems to increase the risk of stroke: people who sit a lot every day are 44 percent more likely to get the disease. But even a few minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity exercise can significantly reduce the risk.
Sitting for long periods of time is unhealthy, this is now generally known. A new study shows it’s also a risk factor for stroke. Researchers followed about 7,600 US citizens for an average of seven years. During that time, 286 strokes occurred, which affected people with little exercise more often. For the third with the least exercise, light physical activity reduced the risk of stroke by 26 percent and moderate-to-intensive activity by 43 percent. Sitting for long periods of time, on the other hand, increased the risk of a stroke by an average of 44 percent. The study results have been published in the specialist journal “JAMA Network Open”.
Endurance exercise didn’t appear to be necessary to lower risk: Just one to nine minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with a 38 percent lower risk of stroke. Being active for more than 10 minutes brought no further benefits.
Overall, the researchers found that the risk increased with the daily amount of sitting: it increased by 14 percent for every hour of sitting and it fell by 14 percent for every hour of light movement. The researchers conclude from the results that incorporating short units of physical activity into everyday life is sufficient to significantly reduce the risk of a stroke.
Which: DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.15934