Japanese researchers have discovered that extended periods of sitting negatively impact the ability of skin blood vessels to dilate, and this detrimental effect is not alleviated by simply changing the ambient temperature. These significant findings were published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology.
The study recruited 12 healthy young volunteers, equally split between six men and six women. On one experimental day, participants remained seated motionless for two hours in a room maintained at a constant temperature of 25 °C. On a separate day, the environmental conditions mimicked realistic climate changes: the temperature alternately dropped to 18 °C and rose to 35 °C, with each cycle being repeated twice.
Following each session, the scientists meticulously assessed the condition of blood vessels in the participants` forearms. It was conclusively determined that prolonged sitting significantly reduced the vessels` capacity to expand (vasodilation) and amplified their reaction to narrowing (vasoconstriction), irrespective of the varied temperature conditions. The authors explicitly emphasize that a simple alternation between heat and cold does not prevent impaired blood flow. This compellingly indicates that other strategies are essential to mitigate the harm caused by prolonged sitting, such as incorporating regular breaks and active movements throughout the day.
