Risks of Blood Clots from Sitting

There goes the Game of Thrones weekend marathon we had in our calendar. A new study has found that women who are more sedentary are two to three times more likely to develop a pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal blood clot in the lung.

A pulmonary embolus occurs when a blood clot travels through the bloodstream from deep veins in the leg and lodges in the lungs. Individuals with this condition experience difficulty breathing as well as coughing and chest pain. Pulmonary emboli are a common cause of heart disease. (And here you may have thought heart disease was only caused by smoking and Taco Bell.)

In a survey of 69,950 female nurses conducted over 18 years, the risk of developing a clot was more than two times higher in women who spent more than 41 hours a week outside of work sitting compared to women who spent less than 10 hours a week outside of work sitting. Since the study was controlled for variable factors such as age, body mass index and smoking, a sedentary lifestyle is the most likely culprit for blood clots.

The authors suggest that the best course of action would be to encourage physical activity via public health campaigns, as increased activity could reduce the occurrence of pulmonary emboli. The list of reasons to exercise is endless, but at the very least, whenever we mow ho hos standing up we have the British Medical Journal on our side.

Source: BMJ-British Medical Journal (2011, July 4). Sitting for long periods doubles risk of blood clots in the lungs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com-/releases/2011/07/110705071745.htm