Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding

by Daniel E. Lieberman

But among the men who were fit, those who sat the most had a 65 percent higher risk of inflammatory-related diseases like type 2 diabetes than those who sat the least. An even larger study based on survey data from more than 240,000 Americans found that time engaged in moderate and vigorous activity lowered but did not erase the risk of dying associated with being sedentary.46 Even those who engaged in more than seven hours per week of moderate or vigorous exercise had a 50 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease if they otherwise sat a lot. Altogether, these and other alarming studies suggest that even if you are physically active and fit, the more time you spend sitting in a chair, the higher your risk of chronic illnesses linked to inflammation, including some forms of cancer.47 If these results are correct, then exercise alone doesn’t counter all the negative effects of sitting.