WEB DESK: Working conditions have improved quite impressively in the past century or so, a huge amount of work that previously required physical activity has now been replaced by machines.

But all this relaxation has taken a toll on human health. Especially people working at offices, who are bound to sit for eight hours or more, are susceptible to diseases as per the latest research. The risk of premature death for them has increased by a whopping 60 percent.

However, one could wipe out all the sitting side-effects with just an hour of moderate activity. Light physical activities such as walking at 5.6 km/h or cycling at 16 km/h are enough to counter the ill effects of sitting for long periods says a Lancet study. This comes in contrary to some prior studies which claimed that exercise are of no use, reported Irish Times.

“Our message is a positive one,” said Ulf Ekelund, study lead author from the Norwegian School of Sports Science and the University of Cambridge, in a statement. “It is possible to reduce, or even eliminate, these risks if we are active enough, even without having to take up sports or go to the gym.”

The authors urged public who spend hours at desk to take five-minute break every hour. The authors further warned that the sedentary lifestyle adopted by most, particularly in urban areas is now a much bigger threat to public, comparable to smoking and is the cause of more deaths than obesity.

The paper analysed data from 16 previous studies involving people aged over 45 from USA, Western Europe and Australia, reported The Guardian. Ekelund however, acknowledged that work commitments made taking lengthy breaks quite impossible for some.

“It’s not easy to do one hour of physical activity a day but ... the average TV viewing time in adults in the UK today is 3hrs 6mins,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s too much to ask that just a little bit of those three hours may be devoted to physical activity,” Ekelund suggested.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2016