For years now, the act of sitting down for extended periods has been thought to pose major health risks, but a recent study in Finland suggests there may be more to the story.

The study was carried out by the UKK Institute, which among other things studies sports medicine.

"Previously it was unequivocally said that sitting down is harmful and that standing could be beneficial to people's health. The new research has shown that sitting for short periods could actually be beneficial to health," UKK's director, Tommi Vasankari, said.

Intermittent sitting means getting up for a little stroll every 20-30 minutes. Benefits were seen in walks that involved something as simple as going to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee.

"All forms of sitting should not be demonised as it has been in the past," Vasankari said.

Lying down even worse

On the other hand, the institute found that lying down and lounging during waking hours was a contributing factor for heart disease.

In terms of the study, the term 'lying down' refers to a person lying flat, while 'lounging' includes semi-reclined positions people might take on an easy chair or sofa.

Unlike their seated counterparts, those in lying or lounging positions who got up every half an hour did not see any heart benefits.

"Whatever position you take when lying down or reclining, it always has a detrimental effect on heart health," Vasankari said.

The study's subjects were working-age people who spent an average of more than an hour lying down and more than five hours lounging during waking hours.

Standing helps

Excessive lounging was found to increase the risk of a larger waist circumference and cardiovascular disease. It also contributed to higher unhealthy fat levels — and lower healthy fat levels — in the subjects' blood.

However, shorter periods of sitting — less than 30 minutes at a time — combined with intermittent standing were associated with improved cardiac health, including higher healthy cholesterol levels and slimmer waistlines.

"When you take your rear end off the chair, muscle activity begins and that speeds up your metabolism. That's always good for you," Vasankari explained.

Still, sitting down for more than 20 minutes at a time was found to be associated with bigger waistlines, he noted.

UKK's findings were based on a study of the Finnish population which examined the effects of physical activities, sedentary lifestyles, fitness and health of more than 4,000 Finns aged 20-69 during the years of 2017-2019 and 2021-2022.