To key to a longer life? Getting off your butt. © Cover Media
Standing up could be the key to a longer life, according to a new report.
Scientists have discovered that sitting down less and remaining on two feet can prevent a person's DNA from ageing. The British Medical Journal published the findings, which showed that less time on the sofa is strongly linked to the lengthening of telomeres, which sit on the end of chromosomes in cells - DNA storage units in the body.
Scientists liken chromosome functions to the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces, and say that lifespan is linked to their length.
"In many countries formal exercise may be increasing, but at the same time people spend more time sitting," said Professor Mai-Lis Hellenius, from Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. "There is growing concern that not only low physical activity but probably also sitting and sedentary behaviour is an important and new health hazard of our time. We hypothesise that a reduction in sitting hours is of greater importance than an increase in exercise time for elderly risk individuals."
Researchers came to this conclusion by observing 49 overweight sedentary adults in their late sixties. Half of them had taken part in an exercise programme that lasted six months, while the other half had not. Their level of physical activity was assessed using a diary and pedometer to measure how many footsteps they had taken each day, and then it was worked out how long they had been seated via a questionnaire.
The researchers measured the length of the telomeres in their blood cells and the study revealed that, although people who did more exercise tended to be healthier, the most important factor for lengthening of telomeres was how much time they spent sitting down.
Scientists found that the less time a person spent sitting, the longer their telomeres, and the greater their chance of living longer.
There are simple things you can do, like taking a walk around in your lunch break rather than watching catch-up telly at your desk. Or consider walking short distances rather than driving or catching a bus. © Cover Media