Researchers reveal that meeting public health guidelines for physical activity alone may not be enough to fend off the adverse effects associated with a sedentary lifestyle for seniors. Instead, new research suggests that fitness, not physical activity alone, plays a protective role in guarding the body against risk factors for heart disease and other conditions. Share on Pinterest Even when seniors sit for 12-13 hours per day, if they are fit, their cardiovascular risk factors are reduced. Living a sedentary lifestyle – such as sitting for prolonged periods – has been shown to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and other conditions. Physical inactivity raises the risk of developing high blood pressure and coronary heart disease and has been found to increase the risk of certain cancers. Studies have linked excessive sitting to being overweight and obese, type 2 diabetes, and early death. Lack of physical activity can also lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. Sitting for long periods has been suggested to slow the metabolism, which affects the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, and break down body fat. Regular physical activity is essential for healthy aging, and adults aged 65 years and over gain substantial health benefits from regular exercise. Physical activity guidelines recommend older adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, such as brisk walking, and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days per week to work all major muscle groups. Among individuals who meet physical activity recommendations, the risk of cardiovascular disease with high sedentary time remains. However, high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with reduced levels of cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dyslipidemia.

Most active participants still spent 12-13 hours per day sedentary Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) aimed to determine whether meeting physical activity guidelines or having high age-specific cardiorespiratory fitness would reduce the adverse effect of prolonged sitting on cardiovascular risk factors for seniors. Cardiorespiratory fitness is the ability of the heart and lungs to provide the working muscles with oxygenated blood for a prolonged period and determine the level of fitness, which goes downhill with age. Cardiorespiratory fitness is an important health indicator that can predict cardiovascular disease mortality and can be improved by increasing both the intensity and amount of exercise. While the average American adult sits for between 9-11 hours a day, the NTNU research found that the participants who were in the least sedentary third of the study still spent between 12-13 hours per day in sedentary behavior. The most sedentary of all participants were sedentary for up to 15 hours a day. The NTNU study was part of a randomized controlled clinical trial with the primary objective of investigating the effect of exercise training on morbidity and mortality in the older adult population. The team conducted a cross-sectional study of 495 women and 379 men from Norway aged between 70-77 years. Sedentary time and physical activity were assessed by accelerometers, while cardiorespiratory fitness was determined by peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) – the measurement of the volume of oxygen that the body can utilize during physical exertion. Researchers compared different levels of activity with fitness levels and cardiovascular risk factor clusters. A cardiovascular risk factor cluster was defined as the presence of three to five risk factors for heart disease. These risk factors included: elevated waist circumference, elevated blood triglycerides or reduced “good” cholesterol levels, high blood pressure or treatment for hypertension, and elevated fasting blood sugar levels – combined symptoms commonly referred to as metabolic syndrome.