the impact of too much sitting...

A recent systematic review conducted by Dr. Mai Chinapaw and colleagues, published in the journal Obesity Reviews, focusses on the possible health consequences of sedentary behavior. Recent research indicates that sedentary behavior, often operationalized as TV-time and other screen viewing behaviors, is associated with higher risk for being overweight and obese, as well as (other) metabolic health problems. the effects of sedentary behavior appear to be rather independent of physical activity, i.e. even when people do exercise a lot, sitting for prolonged periods of time may still increase their risk. The aim of this systematic review was to describe the prospective relationship between childhood sedentary behaviour and health indicators. 31 studies were indentified in data bases of scientific publications. In these studies 27 different cohorts were investigated. The systematic review of these studies confirmed that more  'sedentary time'- mainly TV viewing - predicts a higher body mass index (BMI) and other indicators of body fat. Evidence was also found that more sedentary time is associated with lower fitness levels, but no convincing evidence was found that sedentary time is associated with higher blood pressure, blood lipids or lower bone mass.