Reducing sitting time improves blood flow in the brain and in the legs

During a regular day, the average person sits for 8-10 hours. These high levels of sitting time seem linked to an increased risk for both cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Yvonne Hartman and colleagues, first found that 3 hours sitting directly results in a lower blood flow in the brain and decreased vascular function in the legs. Interestingly, these effects were absent when sitting was interrupted by 2 minutes walking every half-an-hour. Secondly, in co-creation with participants, the investigators developed a personalized intervention using a pedometer that provides biofeedback through vibration when sitting longer than 30-minutes.

In 24 individuals with increased cardiovascular risk, this intervention successfully reduced daily sitting time by 1 hour/day across a 16-week intervention. Moreover, the investigators reported an improvement in vascular structure and function, and a larger cerebral blood flow after the intervention. These results suggest that reducing sitting time is feasible, even in a group with increased risk for chronic disease. This highlights that reducing sitting time is a novel and potentially successful approach to reduce risk for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Publication

Long-Term and Acute Benefits of Reduced Sitting on Vascular Flow and Function

HARTMAN, YVONNE A. W.1; TILLMANS, LAURA C. M.1; BENSCHOP, DAVID L.1; HERMANS, ASTRID N. L.1; NIJSSEN, KEVIN M. R.1; EIJSVOGELS, THIJS M. H.1; WILLEMS, PETER H. G. M.2; TACK, CEES J.3; HOPMAN, MARIA T. E.1; CLAASSEN, JURGEN A. H. R.4; THIJSSEN, DICK H. J.1,5. 

For further information about this research, contact: Yvonne Hartman