New Delhi: Waking up early, hitting the gym and exercising every day may no longer be enough to protect the heart. Health experts are now warning that prolonged sitting—whether at work, in traffic or in front of digital screens—has become one of the biggest yet most overlooked threats to cardiovascular health.
Cardiologists say that even people who exercise regularly remain vulnerable if they spend most of the day sitting. With desk-bound jobs, long commuting hours and increasing screen time becoming the norm, India is witnessing a silent lifestyle epidemic that is fuelling heart disease.
Dr. J.P.S. Sawhney
According to Dr. J.P.S. Sawhney, Senior Cardiologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, maintaining a healthy heart today is not determined only by the amount of exercise one does but also by how effectively one avoids prolonged sitting.
“Regular workouts are important, but they cannot completely offset the harmful effects of remaining seated for long hours. People should make it a habit to stand up, stretch or walk around at regular intervals throughout the day,” he said.
The concern assumes significance as cardiovascular diseases continue to remain the leading cause of premature deaths worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), NC (NCDs)—including heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes—account for the majority of premature deaths globally. Studies indicate that people who remain physically inactive for most of the day face a 20-30 per cent higher risk of premature death compared with those who stay active.
India is no exception. Government health statistics and WHO estimates indicate that nearly one-third of all deaths in the country are caused by non-communicable diseases, with cardiovascular diseases accounting for the largest share.
The findings of the ICMR-INDIAB national cross-sectional study, one of the largest metabolic disease surveys conducted in the country, further underline the magnitude of the problem. The survey covered 1,13,043 adults aged 20 years and above, including 79,506 participants from rural areas and 33,537 from urban areas, across 31 states, Union Territories and the National Capital Territory between October 2008 and December 2020.
The study found the overall weighted prevalence of diabetes at 11.4 per cent, prediabetes at 15.3 per cent, hypertension at 35.5 per cent, generalised obesity at 28.6 per cent, abdominal obesity at 39.5 per cent, and an alarming 81.2 per cent prevalence of dyslipidaemia. Except for prediabetes, every major metabolic non-communicable disease was found to be significantly more common in urban populations than in rural India.
Researchers concluded that the burden of diabetes and other metabolic disorders in India is substantially higher than previously estimated. While the diabetes epidemic appears to be stabilising in some of the country’s more developed states, it continues to rise rapidly across many others, highlighting the urgent need for state-specific prevention strategies and lifestyle interventions.
Dr. Ashok Seth
Echoing these concerns, Dr Ashok Seth, Chairman of Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, said prolonged sitting has become an independent risk factor for heart disease.
“People should not remain seated continuously for more than 30 to 60 minutes. They should get up, walk, stretch or perform some form of physical activity before sitting again. Unfortunately, modern lifestyles, especially in metropolitan cities like Delhi, encourage prolonged sitting through office work, traffic congestion, excessive screen time and digital entertainment,” he said.
According to him, even individuals who are physically fit and exercise regularly must monitor the number of hours they spend sitting every day.
Scientific evidence also supports these observations. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology by researchers led by Dr. Shaan Khurshid of Massachusetts General Hospital found that poor cardiovascular health—driven by obesity, diabetes, hypertension, smoking and physical inactivity—significantly increases the risk of developing heart rhythm disorders, including atrial fibrillation, along with other cardiovascular diseases. The researchers concluded that maintaining healthy lifestyle habits throughout the day, rather than relying solely on scheduled exercise, can substantially reduce an individual’s lifetime risk of heart disease.
Health experts emphasise that the message is simple but critical: exercise for an hour if possible, but avoid sitting for the remaining 10 to 12 hours. Taking short walking breaks, using stairs, standing during phone calls and reducing uninterrupted sitting could prove to be as important for heart health as regular workouts. As India’s burden of obesity, diabetes and hypertension continues to rise, keeping the body moving throughout the day may be one of the most effective—and simplest—ways to protect the heart.
(Cover Representative Image: AI Generated)
