Too much sitting down may shorten life through direct impact on DNA, researchers claim today.
A sedentary lifestyle has been linked to heart disease and diseases of the circulation.
The latest findings come from an attempt to link exercise and fitness to the length of the telomeres, the portion of DNA thought to determine ageing.
Writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers tell how they studied the DNA of 49 people in their late 60s. All were overweight and had a sedentary lifestyle.
One group took part in an exercise programme – but researchers found it was the amount of time they spent sitting down that was linked to the lengthening of the telomere, an indicator of improved health.
The researchers also measured the number of steps taken by each participant as well as the impact of the exercise programme on weight.
Researcher Professor Mai-Lis Hellenius, of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, writes: "In many countries formal exercise may be increasing, but at the same time people spend more time sitting.
"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."
He adds: "We hypothesise that a reduction in sitting hours is of greater importance than an increase in exercise time for elderly risk individuals.”
Stand up for health – avoiding sedentary behaviour might lengthen your telomeres: secondary outcomes from a physical activity RCT in older people British Journal of Sports Medicine 4 September 2014; doi 10.1136/bjsports-2013-093342 [abstract]
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