Current study Sitting constantly reduces our life expectancy significantly

Study: Frequent sitting increases the biological age
A natural part of our life is that we age. Is it possible for us to influence our aging process by sitting too much? Researchers have now found that people age much faster if they spend a lot of their time sitting down. The cells of those affected had a biologically increased age compared to the actual age of the subject.

Researchers at San Diego's School of Medicine at the University of California found in a study that prolonged sitting can lead to faster aging. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "American Journal of Epidemiology".

Most people spend a lot of time sitting during the day. Too long regular sitting can have a negative impact on our aging process. Physicians realized that if we sit a lot this increases our biological age. (Image: Jacek Chabraszewski / fotolia.com)

Avoid sitting too long
Many people try with all sorts of creams and home remedies to stop their aging process, or at least to slow down. Experts have now discovered that there is an easy way to avoid faster aging. For this we should avoid too frequent and too long sitting.

Sitting too much increases our biological age by up to eight years
For their research, the doctors examined nearly 1,500 older women. If the participants sat most of the day, their cells would age faster. The cells of these women were biologically eight years older than the actual age of the women.

The chronological age does not always correspond to the biological age
The researchers found in their study that human cells age faster through a sedentary lifestyle. As a result, our chronological age does not always coincide with our biological age, the author explains. Aladdin Shadyab from the University of California.

Participants answered questionnaires and were examined for their activity
The women at the examination had an age of 64 to 95 years. All participants were asked to answer a questionnaire, and for seven days they carried a device to follow their activity.

Even in old age we should move enough
While the study does not identify a cause-and-effect relationship between accelerated aging and lack of exercise, discussions and considerations about the benefits of exercise should be encouraged. "We should move well in adolescence, but as we get older, physical activity should continue to be a part of our daily lives," Dr. Shadyab.

Inactivity shortens telomere length
One fact became particularly clear in the women's study: when women sat more than ten hours a day and additionally spent less than 40 minutes with moderate to vigorous physical activity, these participants had shortened telomeres, the researchers explain. So-called telomeres are caps at the end of DNA strands that are designed to protect chromosomes from damage. A shortening is observed with increasing age. Another study found some time ago that acne can lead to prolonged telomeres. Thus, acne can protect the skin from aging.

Effects of shortened telomeres
Telomeres naturally shorten as age advances. But there are also health and lifestyle factors that can speed up the process. These include smoking and obesity, say the authors. Shortened telomeres are linked, inter alia, to heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Further research is needed
We found in the study that longer-sitting women did not have shortened telomere length if they performed at least 30 minutes of physical activity during the day. Shadyab. Future studies are planned to further investigate the link between activity and telomere length in younger adults and men. (As)