Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health Standing More Often Helps Protect Heart Health
Oct 10, 2025
Frequent standing breaks can significantly improve heart health, reducing blood pressure in just 12 weeks. Prolonged sitting raises cancer risk, with each extra two hours increasing the risk by 6%. Movement quality trumps quantity; breaking long sitting periods is crucial. Sitting leads to inflammation and metabolic slowdown, making regular standing and walking essential. Simple steps like standing every hour and aiming for daily walks can counteract the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, promoting better overall health.
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Frequent Stands Lower Blood Pressure
- Adding about 25 extra stand-to transitions per day lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure within 12 weeks in postmenopausal women.
- Frequent brief muscle activations produced faster cardiovascular responses than reducing total sitting time alone.
Metabolic Gains Lag Behind Cardiovascular Wins
- Glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR did not change over 12 weeks despite blood pressure improvements.
- Researchers say metabolic benefits likely require longer interventions than cardiovascular gains.
Extended Sitting Raises Cancer Risk
- Each additional two hours of sitting raised overall cancer risk by about 6% in postmenopausal women.
- Long uninterrupted sitting bouts were especially linked to higher cancer mortality and specific cancers like breast and endometrial.