However, women who did a lot of sitting but were either moderately or very fidgety had a risk of early death that was similar to that of more active women, the researchers found.
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But a study by scientists at Leeds University and University College London is the first to examine the impact of fidgeting.
The study finds that sitting fixedly on your char may affect your health adversely and a bit of fidgeting just might help in reversing the effect. They suggest prolonged sitting increases the risk of death in those who only noted they were occasional fidgeters.
The Study gathered information on a wide range of eating patterns of almost 13,000 women aged 37 to 78 who also provided data on their average daily sitting time, overall fidgeting, physical activity, smoking status and alcohol consumption.
The study did reveal one unexpected result: the increased mortality risk appears to be counteracted by fidgeting. The researchers received over 14,000 responses.
Study co-lead author Dr Gareth Hagger-Johnson from UCL, who conducted the data analysis, said:
“Our results support the suggestion that it’s best to avoid sitting still for long periods of time, and even fidgeting may offer enough of a break to make a difference.”
“While further research is needed, the findings raise questions about whether the negative associations with fidgeting, such as rudeness or lack of concentration, should persist if such simple movements are beneficial for our health”, study co-author Janet Cade, a professor in the university’s school of food science and nutrition, said in a statement.
Recent studies have shown that an increasingly sedentary lifestyle dominated by sitting at work and then sitting in leisure time has a negative effect on health.
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This summer, a panel of global experts published guidelines in the British Journal of Sports Medicine recommending that people stand, walk around or take breaks for at least two hours during an eight-hour workday and build up to four hours.
