Study Ties Sedentary Time to High Heart Failure Risk in Men

A new research claims that sitting for a long time raises heart failure risk in men, even for those who are physical active.

The study published in the American Heart Association Journal Circulation: Heart Failure suggests that men who sit for long periods suffer from a high risk of heart failure, even if they exercise regularly. Men can reduce the risk of heart failure by reducing their sedentary time.

"Preventing heart failure, researchers found, requires a two-part behavioral approach: high levels of physical activity plus low levels of sedentary time. The study is the first to examine the link between heart failure risk and sedentary time," explains Deborah Rohm Young, Ph.D., lead researcher and a senior scientist at Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena, Calif.

The study emphasizes the fact that men should be more active and sit less. For the study, researchers looked at data from 84,170 men aged 45-69 years. The participants exercise level was calculated in metabolic equivalent of task (MET) - measure of the body's energy use. They also measured the participant's sedentary levels in hours.

After following the participants for an average of eight years, the researchers noticed that those men who were engaged in low levels of physical activity suffered a 52 percent higher risk of developing a heart failure when compared to men with high levels of physical activity. Outside of work, those men whose sedentary time was five or more hours days had 34 percent risk of developing heart failure when compared to men who spent just two hours or less a day sitting.

The risk of heart failure doubled in men with little exercise and who sat for atleast five hours a day. Since no women were included in the group, the results are not applicable to them.

With this finding, the study supports the recommendation by the American Heart Association that suggests that people should get a minimum of 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity to reduce the risk of heart failure and other cardiovascular disease.

A similar study from the Kansas State University showed that the risk of chronic diseases can be lowered by engaging in physical activities.

Heart failure occurs when the heart stops pumping sufficient blood and oxygen to support other organs. This is a serious condition as over 5.1 million Americans have heart failure. In the year 2009, one in nine deaths was due to this condition. Those who develop heart failure die within five years after being diagnosed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.