Study: Sitting less protects DNA, promotes longer lifespan

MANILA, Philippines - A group of researchers at the Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden found out that sitting down less could extend a person's lifespan by preventing the DNA from ageing.

According to the study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the time spent sitting down is strongly related to the lengthening of 'telomeres' - caps that sit on the end of chromosomes in cells, which guard the end of chromosomes and the genetic code inside.

When cells divide, telomeres get shorter and shorter. Eventually, the cells stop dividing and die. According to University of Utah, that shorter telomeres are linked to age-related illnesses such as heart disease and some cancers.

Professor Mai-Lis Hellenius,one of the researchers warned that standing up for longer might be more important than exercising.

‘There is growing concern that not only low physical activity but probably also sitting and sedentary behavior is an important and new health hazard of our time. We hypothesize that a reduction in sitting hours is of greater importance than an increase in exercise time for elderly risk individuals,’ she said.

The researchers studied 49 sedentary and overweight adults, all aged in their late sixties. Half of them had taken part in an exercise program that lasted six months, while the other half had not.

Using a diary, their level of physical activity was assessed while pedometer was used to measure how many footsteps they had taken each day. A questionnaire was used to determine the time spent sitting down.

The study revealed that although exercising contributes to a healthier lifestyle, the most important factor for lengthening of telomeres was the time they spent sitting down. It was revealed that the less time they spent sitting down, the longer their telomeres, therefore the greater their chance of living longer.

Meanwhile, researchers who are not involved in the study, such as Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center agreed that the study is compelling evidence that shows how lifestyle changes can alter genes and affect telomere length.