The perils of deskwork

[bigbadwolf]

In the Daily Mail:

Spending ten years or more in a sedentary job almost doubles the risk of some types of bowel cancer, a study shows.

The research also backs up earlier studies which showed men who sit down most of the day at their jobs are 30 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than those with very active occupations.
But the latest study, by a team of experts at the University of Western Australia, show long periods of physical inactivity during the day could also be a major risk - even among those who do a lot of exercise in their free time.

Recent studies from the US suggest adults now spend around 55 per of their time at work sitting down.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I'm typing this lying on my back. Will that help?

 

[bigbadwolf]

I'm typing this lying on my back. Will that help?

Yeah, probably.

 

[alain]

i'm screwed

 

[Mr Doe]

At least you are old :p, I still young .

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Old, young, we are screw the same. Chalk it as occupational hazard.
I don't think it will deter the horde of young people who want to become "desk quant" (no punch intended)

 

[Mr Doe]

Maybe we should all become pit traders; I'd rather go for a elbow in the chin each day than a prostate cancer.

 

[bigbadwolf]

At my gym in the mornings I see all these young men and women who come in for a vigorous 60-minute or 90-minute workout (treadmill, elliptic machine, weights), then shower, put on their office clothes and go to clock in eight or nine hours in some sedentary office job. It can't be right to alternate this kind of vigorous short-term physical activity with long-term sedentary inactivity. It's got to be even worse if the sedentary work is tense.

 

[AWilliams]

At my gym in the mornings I see all these young men and women who come in for a vigorous 60-minute or 90-minute workout (treadmill, elliptic machine, weights), then shower, put on their office clothes and go to clock in eight or nine hours in some sedentary office job. It can't be right to alternate this kind of vigorous short-term physical activity with long-term sedentary inactivity. It's got to be even worse if the sedentary work is tense.

It was suggested to me that I get a standing desk at work. Maybe that would help?

 

[bigbadwolf]

It was suggested to me that I get a standing desk at work. Maybe that would help?

Not sure it will make much of a difference. I feel we were meant to be moderately active through the day. Not just sitting or standing in place.

 

[pruse]

Keep in mind though that this could very well be a case of mistaking correlation for causality. People with sedentary jobs also tend to not watch what they eat, use vending machines, order take-out, etc.

 

[AWilliams]

Keep in mind though that this could very well be a case of mistaking correlation for causality. People with sedentary jobs also tend to not watch what they eat, use vending machines, order take-out, etc.

The earlier study mentioned in this article was done over a period of 13 years, involved over 17,000 participants, with about 40 or more researchers/scientists. They looked at the lifestyles of each participant so i'm sure they controlled for many of the variables you mentioned above.

As far as I know, in this day and age, you can't publish big findings like this without a definitive link.

 

[alain]

The earlier study mentioned in this article was done over a period of 13 years, involved over 17,000 participants, with about 40 or more researchers/scientists. They looked at the lifestyles of each participant so i'm sure they controlled for many of the variables you mentioned above.

It sounds plausible and seems they took their time

As far as I know, in this day and age, you can't publish big findings like this without a definitive link.

I don't think that's the case. Au contraire, it might be easier to publish bogus things since there is always a rush to be the first out the door.

 

[Tom Maloney]

I questioned the research too when I first heard it. It seems like this kind of research has been going on for some time, though, see for instance the related publications at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Link&db=pubmed&dbFrom=PubMed&from_uid=21421743. Given the large size of this niche research, I'm inclined to give the researchers the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Anthony DeAngelis]

I think I will take my chances in an air conditioned, comfortable, and well paying office job vs. a slightly lower risk of XYZ cancer as a lower paying, grueling career.

 

[bigbadwolf]

It's true that every blue-collar worker I talk to (in his forties and beyond) has something wrong with him: his back has given out, or his knees, or something else. If anything, the occupational hazards of blue-collar work seem to outweigh those of white-collar work (hardly surprising).

 

[Andy D.]

I read a book called the Blue Zones last year. It looks at lifestyle and links to living to a ripe old age.
The areas with a lot of folks living to 100+ also tend to see those communities living more active lifestyles and generally working well into old age.

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Zones-Le...7557/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303384962&sr=8-1

Shame the cover now looks like a Paul McKenna - "I can make you rich" book though.

 

[bigbadwolf]

I read a book called the Blue Zones last year. It looks at lifestyle and links to living to a ripe old age.
The areas with a lot of folks living to 100+ also tend to see those communities living more active lifestyles and generally working well into old age.

The first few pages I've read make it sufficiently enticing for me to order a copy. The Hunza Valley in North Pakistan has been famous for the longevity of its people -- it's probably a mix of high altitude, vigorous exercise (because of the terrain), diet (low in meat), and lack of stress (a real killer in the West). The standard of living is abysmally low yet the quality of life is good (or has been). Meanwhile, my alchemical investigations into concocting the Elixir of Life continue apace.

 

[Andy D.]

BBW - I hope you enjoy the book! Yes one trend mentioned in it was the low consumption of meat products.
I'm pretty much a Veggie myself these days - just got to cut down on the Donuts and Ale next