Physicians suggest that cutting down on sitting time by 30 minutes each day can improve cardiovascular health in older individuals, lower blood pressure, and decrease the risk of developing non-communicable diseases.

They believe that reducing sitting time is just as beneficial as increasing physical activity and lowering blood pressure. Older adults typically spend a significant portion of their day sitting, which can be harmful to their health.

A recent study by Kaiser Permanente found that reducing sitting time by just 30 minutes daily can lead to lower blood pressure. The study, titled ‘Sitting Time Reduction and Blood Pressure in Older Adults: A Randomised Clinical Trial,’ published in JAMA Network Open, suggested that sitting less could be beneficial for older adults in improving their cardiovascular health.

This randomized clinical trial aimed to assess the impact of reducing sitting time on cardiovascular health.

The author said, “In this study of a 6-month sitting reduction intervention, older adults in the intervention reduced sedentary time by more than 30 minutes per day and reduced systolic blood pressure.

“Sitting reduction could be a promising approach to improve health in older adults,” the study summarized.

Wakadaily learnt that , Tanimola Akande, a Public Health Professor at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital in Kwara State, reducing the amount of time spent sitting can lower the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Akande highlighted hypertension as one of these diseases and emphasized that staying physically active as we age can help prevent a sedentary lifestyle and enhance the health of older individuals.

“There is what is called active ageing, which is an initiative that aims to engage, inspire and enable people to be active, healthy and happy in later life,” the physician stated.

Akande pointed out that active ageing involves enhancing current services and introducing new initiatives to motivate individuals aged 55 and above to engage in physical activities.

He mentioned that the concept of active ageing is endorsed by the European Commission and the World Health Organisation, as well as being applied in Human Resource Management. This concept promotes the idea of extending working years and adjusting work practices to suit the age of employees.

In line with these findings, Dr. Rotimi Adesanya, a Public Health Physician and Medical Director at the Federal College of Education, Akoka Medical Centre in Lagos, emphasized that staying active can lower the risk of developing diseases.

He stated, “It is true. Several healthy lifestyles bring about a reduction in blood pressure. Lifestyles like walking, exercise, reduction in alcohol intake, quitting smoking, and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle, among others help in the reduction of HBP in humans, especially in older persons.

“They help in preventing high blood pressure. It has to be combined with other healthy lifestyles mentioned above to have a marked improvement.

“People with confirmed high blood pressure (Hypertension) should, however, use their medications combined with these other lifestyle measures,” Adesanya recommended.

According to a study by Paddy Dempsey et al published in the American Heart Association Journal, titled ‘Sitting Less and Moving More,’ reducing daily sitting time can enhance the vascular health of older individuals.

The authors suggest that instead of strictly following exercise guidelines, it may be more effective to encourage older adults to prioritize moving more and sitting less in order to control blood pressure.

The study emphasizes that this advice should be seen as a supplement to other healthy habits, such as engaging in regular moderate-vigorous physical activity, maintaining a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and managing stress.

In summary, the study suggests that reducing sitting time and increasing physical activity can benefit the vascular health of older individuals when combined with other healthy behaviors.

“Such a strategy may also be an acceptable gateway for those who are physically inactive and highly sedentary, overweight, elderly, deconditioned, and unable or reluctant to add directly into structured exercise.

“In this regard, emerging strategies focusing on reducing and changing the patterns of sedentary behaviours may have the potential for lowering the incidence and prevalence of hypertension, as well as minimising medication use in those already treated.”

The study ultimately determined that more evidence is necessary to provide guidance on the effectiveness and specificity of recommendations regarding sedentary behavior for clinical use and for public health strategies targeting the reduction of hypertension.