Toe-tapping while sitting may prevent arterial disease: study
New
York, Aug 8 (PTI) Fidgeting while sitting for an extended period of time at a
computer or during a long flight can protect the arteries in your legs and
potentially help prevent arterial disease, a new study has claimed.
Research
has shown that sitting for an extended period of time reduces blood flow to the
legs, which may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease.
"Many
of us sit for hours at a time, whether it is binge watching our favourite TV
show or working at a computer," said Jaumme Padilla from University of
Missouri in the US.
"We
wanted to know whether a small amount of leg fidgeting could prevent a decline
in leg vascular function caused by prolonged sitting," said Padilla.
While
researchers expected fidgeting to increase blood flow to the lower limbs, they
actually found that this would be sufficient to prevent a decline in arterial
function.
Researchers
compared the leg vascular function of 11 healthy young men and women before and
after three hours of sitting.
While
sitting, participants were asked to fidget one leg intermittently, tapping one
foot for one minute and then resting it for four minutes, while the other leg
remained still throughout.
On
average, the participants moved their feet 250 times per minute. Researchers
then measured the blood flow of the popliteal - an artery in the lower leg -
and found that the fidgeting leg had a significant increase in blood flow, as
expected, while the stationary leg experienced a reduction in blood flow.
Previous
research has shown that increased blood flow and its associated shear stress -
the friction of the flowing blood on the artery wall - is an important stimulus
for vascular health. However, fidgetings protective role had not been
established.
While
only one leg was exposed to fidgeting during the experiment, in a real-world
scenario researchers recommend tapping both legs to maximise the beneficial
effects.
However,
researchers caution that fidgeting is not a substitute for walking and
exercise, which produce more overall cardiovascular benefits.
"You
should attempt to break up sitting time as much as possible by standing or
walking. But if you are stuck in a situation in which walking just is not an
option, fidgeting can be a good alternative. Any movement is better than no
movement," said Padilla.
The
findings were published in the American Journal of Physiology Heart and
Circulatory Physiology. PTI SAN SAR SAR
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