WASHINGTON — We all know that sitting too much at the office can raise the risk of all sorts of health problems — from diabetes to heart disease.
As a result, many people are trying to get out of the chair and get on their feet as much as possible. Some turn to standing desks, while others just try to break up their office day by stopping to stand several times an hour.
This will help negate some of the health risks of too much sitting. But researchers say don’t count on standing to prevent office weight gain.
A team at the University of Pittsburgh conducted a study where they precisely measured how many calories we use when sitting, standing and moving about the office.
They took 74 healthy volunteers, split them into several groups and monitored their calorie burn while sitting, standing and walking — or combinations of the three movements — during a set period.
Those who sat burned about 20 calories during a 15 minute stint. Surprisingly, the burn was just two calories more for those who stood up.
The big difference was in the volunteers who got up and walked, even at a fairly leisurely pace. They burned three times as many calories during that 15 minute period as those who sat or stood.
The researchers say their findings show the importance of incorporating more walking into the work day. They emphasize there are benefits to standing, but weight control is not among them.
The study was published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.
