They have been billed as the ultimate antidote to sitting in front of a screen all day at the office. But a study suggests standing desks, which have soared in popularity in recent years, do not compensate for being inactive and may even increase the risk of conditions such as swollen veins and blood clots in the legs.
Research involving more than 80,000 adults in the UK has also discovered that standing does not reduce the risk of diseases such as stroke and heart failure, despite the widely held belief that it does.
The study, led by the University of Sydney, found that being on your feet for more than two hours a day may increase the risk of developing problems such as deep vein thrombosis and varicose veins. The findings were published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Dr Matthew Ahmadi, of the University of Sydney’s faculty of medicine and health, said people who sat or stood for long periods should schedule regular movement throughout the day.
“The key takeaway is that standing for too long will not offset an otherwise sedentary lifestyle and could be risky for some people in terms of circulatory health. We found that standing more does not improve cardiovascular health over the long-term and increases the risk of circulatory issues,” Ahmadi said.
To establish if standing provided any health benefits, the researchers studied data from 83,013 adults who are part of the UK Biobank health records database.
These people did not have heart disease at the start of the study and wore devices on their wrists to track movement. The team found that for every extra 30 minutes spent standing beyond two hours, the risk of circulatory disease increased by 11%.
Standing was not found to reduce the risk of heart conditions such as stroke, heart failure and coronary heart disease, the researchers said.
Prof Emmanuel Stamatakis, the director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub at the University of Sydney, said: “For people who sit for long periods on a regular basis, including plenty of incidental movement throughout the day and structured exercise may be a better way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
“Take regular breaks, walk around, go for a walking meeting, use the stairs, take regular breaks when driving long distances, or use that lunch hour to get away from the desk and do some movement.”
Emily McGrath, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation who was not involved with the research, said the findings highlighted the importance of being active during the working day.
“The more people can avoid being stationary, the better,” she said. “Over the long term, the study showed that standing time was not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, however it did have other circulatory health implications for some. It is important to get active to reduce this risk.”