New Study Concludes That Standing Isn't Necessarily Healthier Than Sitting Down All Day

Maybe we just shouldn’t even get out of bed in the first place.

After several buzzworthy studies have likened sitting at your desk all day to smoking -- in that both increase the risk of obesity, heart disease, colon cancer and Type 2 Diabetes -- new research suggests that sitting isn’t necessarily the silent killer it’s purported to be.

A study published last week in the International Journal of Epidemiology examined the health of more than 5,000 Londoners over the course of 16 years. While 450 people died during the survey, none of these deaths were ultimately attributable to sitting, the study concluded.

And despite reports to the contrary, standing all day isn’t necessarily better than sitting, says Dr. Melvyn Hillsdon, an associate professor at the University of Exeter who co-conducted of the study. Both are problematic in that both encourage a sedentary workday.

“The problem lies in the absence of movement rather than the time spent sitting itself,” Hillsdon said in a statement. “Any stationary posture where energy expenditure is low may be detrimental to health, be it sitting or standing. The results cast doubt on the benefits of sit-stand work stations.”

So what are we left with? It looks like treadmill desks may indeed be the way forward. Just please promise us that human-sized hamster wheels aren’t actually going to become a thing anytime soon.