Here's a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly. Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods — even if you also exercise regularly — could be bad for your health. And it doesn't matter where the sitting takes place — at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV — just the overall number of hours it occurs. "A"YgD#t
Research is preliminary, but several studies suggest people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die. T>'O[=UWh
In an editorial published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define physical activity to highlight the dangers of sitting. G@#lf@M]
While health officials have issued guidelines recommending minimum amounts of physical activity, they haven't suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated position.
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"After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals," Ekblom-Bak said. She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucose and fat in the body start to shut down. Q;8z&4s@
Even for people who exercise, spending long stretches of time sitting at a desk is still harmful. Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization, said people who exercise every day — but still spend a lot of time sitting — might get more benefit if that exercise were spread across the day, rather than in a single bout. X':FFD4h
That wasn't welcome news for Aytekin Can, 31, who works at a London financial company, and spends most of his days sitting in front of a computer. Several evenings a week, Can also teaches jiu jitsu, a Japanese martial art involving wrestling, and also does Thai boxing. $
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"I'm sure there are some detrimental effects of staying still for too long, but I hope that being active when I can helps," he said. "I wouldn't want to think the sitting could be that dangerous." (&Rk#i U
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Still, in a study published last year that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, researchers found people who sat more had a higher death risk, independently of whether or not they exercised. =Q40]>bpx
Figures from a US survey in 2003-2004 found Americans spend more than half their time sitting, from working at their desks to sitting in cars. gAWi&
Experts said more research is needed to figure out just how much sitting is dangerous, and what might be possible to offset those effects. P0}{xq'k9v
"People should keep exercising because that has a lot of benefits," Ekblom-Bak said. "But when they're in the office, they should try to interrupt sitting as often as possible," she said. "Don't just send your colleague an e-mail. Walk over and talk to him. Standing up." :vb5J33U
健康专家日前发出最新警告：久坐会致命。越来越多的科学家提醒，即使经常锻炼身体，长时间坐着也会对健康产生有害影响。而且不管你坐在哪里——办公室、学校、车上或是电脑、电视前——重要的是你坐着的时间。 h;jO7+W
目前该研究尚处于初步阶段，但已有几项研究显示，每天大部分时间都处于静坐状态的人更容易发胖、患心脏病甚至死亡。 8#yu.\N.xt
瑞典体育及健康科学学院的艾琳•艾克布洛姆-巴克上周在英国《运动医学》杂志上发表的一篇评论文章中建议，相关机构应重新考虑如何界定身体锻炼，以强调久坐的危害。 d-B+s%>D
尽管卫生官员已发布指南建议人们的最低身体活动量，但在一天最多坐几个小时的问题上还是个空白。 }
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艾克布洛姆-巴克说：“在坐了四个小时后，身体会开始发出有害信号。”她解释说，此时调节体内葡萄糖和脂肪量的基因会开始罢工。 (T#$0RFq
即使对那些经常锻炼的人来说，长时间坐着也有害。世界卫生组织的身体锻炼专家蒂姆•阿姆斯特朗说，对于那些每天锻炼但依然有很多时间是处于静坐状态的人来说，如果每天的锻炼可分散进行而不是一次集中完成，效果会更好。 63Zu5b"O/
这对于在伦敦一家金融公司工作的31岁的艾特金•肯来说不是什么好消息。肯每天大部分时间都坐在电脑前。不过他每周有几个晚上教授柔术（日本的一种摔跤武术），此外还练泰国拳击。 GNMOHqg4
他说：“我知道长时间坐着不动肯定有害，但我希望我做的这些运动能起到作用。我不愿相信坐着会产生这么危险的后果。” ?h&XIM(
去年公布的一项研究发现，长时间坐着的人死亡率更高，无论他们是否从事身体锻炼。这项研究在12年内共对超过1.7万名加拿大人进行了跟踪调查。 cb /Q< i
美国2003年至2004年的一项调查数据显示，美国人每天有一半以上的时间处于静坐状态，无论是坐在办公桌前还是坐在车内。 C7ivA h
专家称，还需要开展更多研究以测算每天坐多久会对健康产生威胁，以及怎样来消除这些有害影响。 t<Yi!6
艾克布洛姆-巴克说：“人们应该坚持锻炼，因为锻炼身体益处多多。但当他们在办公室时，应该尽可能多地起来活动活动。不要总是通过发电邮来与同事交流。可以走过去与他面谈。站着谈。” 1 ;$XX#7o
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Vocabulary: cDY)QUmi
glucose: a type of sugar that is found in fruit and is easily changed into energy by the human body 葡萄糖 /ovVS6Ai
bout: a short period of great activity 一次 X ?'cl] 1?
jiu jitsu: a method of self-defense without weapons that was developed in China and Japan; holds and blows are supplemented by clever use of the attacker's own weight and strength 柔术 }4 Yz P 4
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