Death rates due to heart disease are up for the first time in almost 50 years—and sitting too much could be the culprit.
Or at least that’s one conclusion to be drawn from the reasons cited for a 2015 increase following a decline of 70% since 1969. “Researchers say the obesity epidemic is probably mostly to blame for the higher death rate from heart disease, because it has driven increases in rates of hypertension, diabetes and other heart-related problems.”
Studies show sitting too much increases risks for weight gain, diabetes, and abnormal measurements of the cardiac-related metabolic indicators of blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides. The amount of time spent sitting by Americans both at work and at home has been increasing for years.
