We all know that too little exercise can pack on the pounds and contribute to heart disease and other ills, but a new study published in the European Heart Journal on Jan. 12 shows that we can even cause ourselves harm simply by sitting for too long without moving. And what office worker doesn't spend much of the day in that position?
大家都知道，運動過少會使得體重增加，從而增大了患上心臟及其他方面的疾病，但據一項最新的醫學報告指出，久坐不動其實對於我們的身體健康也會造成傷害，然而上班族坐辦公室，還能有其他的姿勢麼？
The study was the first to look at the heart health consequences of prolonged sitting among a large and diverse group. Researchers collated data from 4,757 participants who were all part of the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2003 and 2006.
這份報告是首次大規模地探尋了心臟健康以及長時間保持坐著狀態之間的因果關係，研究人員收集整理了在2003年到2006年間參加美國全國健康和營養調查的4757名受訪者的相關資料。
The subjects wore accelerometers which measure the intensity of their physical activity 14.6 hours a day for seven days. Investigators then measured waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and C-reactive protein concentrations to determine heart health. In a subset of the group, they also measured markers of diabetes: levels of triglycerides, plasma glucose and insulin.
受測者攜帶了運動測量儀器，以測取他們在七天之內14.6小時之中的運動量。研究人員還分別測量了他們的腰圍、血壓、膽固醇水平以及反應蛋白濃度，通過對於這些資料的分析來確定受測者的健康水平。他們還另外測量了一組人的尿樣以分析甘油三酯、血糖和胰島素水平。
The results were unmistakable: prolonged sedentary periods led to larger waist sizes and higher levels of blood fats, even if subjects participated in regular sessions of moderate to rigorous exercise outside of their inactive hours. So who fared the best? Those who did both regular exercise and took breaks to stand or walk at regular intervals.
研究結果毫無偏差地反映了這樣一個事實，長時間坐著不動會導致腰圍增大，血脂水平升高，而且這樣的現象不會因為受測者在其餘的時間內有參與體育鍛煉的習慣而改變。然而究竟要怎麼避免這樣的情況呢？專家表示，除了要有固定的運動時間以外，久坐過程中不時的站立和行走都有助於改善情況。
"Our research showed that even small changes, which could be as little as standing up for one minute, might help to lower this health risk," lead author Genevieve Healy, a research fellow at the University of Queensland, Australia said in a statement.
“我們的研究顯示，哪怕是非常小的改變，你如說一分鐘的站立，這也能降低健康的風險”，昆士蘭大學的學者Genevieve Healy說。
"It is likely that regular breaks in prolonged sitting time could be readily incorporated into the working environment without any detrimental impact on productivity, although this still needs to be determined by further research. 'Stand up, move more, more often' could be used as a slogan to get this message across."
“在必須長時間坐著的情況下，定時的小憩和活動可以在任何工作環境下進行，並不會影響到工作效率，我們鼓勵大家在工作中儘量多的站起來，動一動。”
But, Healy added, breaks alone aren't enough. Neglecting the regular, vigorous exercise part undoes a lot of the good standing and moving does.
不過Healy也表示，這樣的短暫的休息活動是不夠的，如果長期的忽視有規律的有一定強度的體育鍛煉的話，即便“站起來，走一走”也是無濟於事的。