Your Job May Be Killing You
By: Megan Dobbs
Updated: February 25, 2011
"I sit at a desk a lot. More than 8 hours a day."
Michiel Arrington is not alone. Millions spend the work day stuck at a desk, planted for hours. Surprising new research suggests office jobs are slowly killing people. A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed people who sat more than six hours a day were more likely to die than those who sat less than three hours a day. Dr. Eduardo Sanchez is the Chief Medical Officer at Blue Cross/Blue Shield explains the study.
"I think what the study suggests is not about how much you move. It's about how much you don't move," Sanchez said.
A similar study from Australia showed people who sit a long time without breaks are at higher risk for heart disease. What is really surprising is that time in the gym did not matter.
"We're on conference calls a lot and i do use that time to stand up, give myself a break," Arrington said.
Dr. Sanchez says that may be one of the healthiest things Michiel does.
"Every so often, getting up, moving your body around is probably beneficial above and beyond the 30 or 45 minutes you may be working out most days of the week in the gym."
Workers at Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Richardson, Texas lap the second floor during breaks. The strain of work, through, whether at a desk or not, also hurts women. Doctors say women in jobs with high demand and little control are 40-percent more likely to suffer heart disease.
The best advice: Stay active on the job. Even a little movement can help you get ahead of heart disease.
Michiel Arrington is not alone. Millions spend the work day stuck at a desk, planted for hours. Surprising new research suggests office jobs are slowly killing people. A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed people who sat more than six hours a day were more likely to die than those who sat less than three hours a day. Dr. Eduardo Sanchez is the Chief Medical Officer at Blue Cross/Blue Shield explains the study.
"I think what the study suggests is not about how much you move. It's about how much you don't move," Sanchez said.
A similar study from Australia showed people who sit a long time without breaks are at higher risk for heart disease. What is really surprising is that time in the gym did not matter.
"We're on conference calls a lot and i do use that time to stand up, give myself a break," Arrington said.
Dr. Sanchez says that may be one of the healthiest things Michiel does.
"Every so often, getting up, moving your body around is probably beneficial above and beyond the 30 or 45 minutes you may be working out most days of the week in the gym."
Workers at Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Richardson, Texas lap the second floor during breaks. The strain of work, through, whether at a desk or not, also hurts women. Doctors say women in jobs with high demand and little control are 40-percent more likely to suffer heart disease.
The best advice: Stay active on the job. Even a little movement can help you get ahead of heart disease.
