Diseases Caused by Sedentary Life

Acıbadem Bakırköy Hospital Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Specialist Prof. Dr. Şule Arslan pointed out that "excess weight and inactivity" are the most common behaviors that pose health risks such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, overeating and inactivity, and talked about the harms.

Mentioning that a sedentary lifestyle affects the human body through different mechanisms, Dr. Şule Arslan says:

“Inactivity causes unwanted negative effects on the human body. The risk of death from all causes increases. It increases the risk of cancer and metabolic diseases (such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia) in deaths due to cardiovascular diseases. Musculoskeletal diseases (joint pain, osteoporosis), depression and cognitive disability can be given as examples. Long-term sedentary life is also associated with the development of insomnia and sleep disorders.

6 diseases caused by sedentary life

Diabetes

Insulin resistance and diabetes are two important problems that sedentary life is rapidly becoming widespread. Studies point out that the risk of Type 2 diabetes is 112 percent higher in inactive people. Insulin resistance is more common in individuals who walk less than 500 steps a day, sit for a long time and do not pay attention to calorie consumption.

Hypertension and blood lipid disorders

Heart and circulatory diseases (ischemic heart disease and strokes) and cancer are the leading causes of death in Turkey. Inactivity causes changes in blood pressure as well as changes in cholesterol and insulin sensitivity. The first step to prevent these diseases is to eat healthy and lead an active life.

Obesity

There are studies showing that there is a 10 cm increase in waist circumference measurements with a 3.1% increase in sedentary time. Even simple activities such as walking or standing consume energy; This type of low energy expenditure is called “non-exercise activity thermogenesis”. This type of energy consumption can even help fight weight gain. Increasing the duration of low-energy activities, such as sitting or lying down, limits the calories burned by non-exercise activity. Studies show that obese people sit for 2 more hours a day than the average individual.

Musculoskeletal diseases

sedentary life; causes osteoporosis, joint pain and posture disorder. Not moving also reduces bone mineral density. In women over 50, doing light physical activity for at least 30 minutes instead of sedentary time reduces the risk of fracture by 12 percent. Knee and joint pain occur in those who spend 10 hours or more daily sedentary time. People who work sitting for long periods of time develop posture disorders, back and neck pain.

Cancer

Time spent sedentary increases the overall risk of cancer by 20 percent. It is known that sitting for a long time increases the risk of colorectal, uterine, ovarian and prostate cancer, and increases cancer-related deaths, especially in women. Another study showed a direct link between increased total sitting time and colon and uterine cancer.

Fragility

Vulnerability (weakness) is defined as the condition in which the body becomes more vulnerable to diseases. Among the multiple factors that lead to fragility, inactivity comes first. Frailty reduces a person's ability to recover from illness or injury, and frail elderly people are more likely to be hospitalized. Individuals who sit longer in their daily lives are more likely to be more fragile in later life. With the shortening of the daily sitting time, the risk of developing fragility also decreases.

Noting that insomnia and irregular diet are the main reasons that push people to inactivity, Prof. Dr. Şule Arslan makes the following suggestions:

“Movement, healthy eating and quality sleep are essential parts of human life. It is very important to follow these 3 rules in order to increase the quality of life and life expectancy. If we can make movement a habit of behavior in our lives, we will protect our health.”