Heart disease. Cancer. Stroke. Thanks to strong public health awareness initiatives, many women are aware of the most common killers of women in the United States.

But while we know smoking, fast food and a lack of exercise are bad for us, are there other seemingly mundane activities or items that are posing serious health risks to women?

You may be surprised at some of the risks you don’t know about.

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A study of 123,216 people over 14 years by the American Cancer Society found that women who sit for more than six hours a day were 40 percent more likely to die during the course of the study than those who sat fewer than three hours per day (men, in contrast, were about 20 percent more likely to die). The results, published in The American Journal of Epidemiology, found that the the damage done by sitting for such long periods cannot be undone by exercising, though when combined with a lack of physical activity, the association was even stronger. Women and men who both sat more and were less physically active were 94 percent and 48 percent more likely to die during the study period, respectively, compared with those who reported sitting the least and being most active.

Alpa Patel, a researcher behind the study, said:

Several factors could explain the positive association between time spent sitting and higher all-cause death rates .. Prolonged time spent sitting, independent of physical activity, has been shown to have important metabolic consequences, and may influence things like triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, resting blood pressure, and leptin, which are biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.

Alternative: Request from your HR department for or invest yourself in an adjustable desk that allows you to alternate between sitting and standing. Or you can try out what this blogger did and replace your office chair with a fitness ball that will allow you to use your muscles and your mind as you work.

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A study of 123,216 people over 14 years by the American Cancer Society found that women who sit for more than six hours a day were 40 percent more likely to die during the course of the study than those who sat fewer than three hours per day (men, in contrast, were about 20 percent more likely to die). The results, published in The American Journal of Epidemiology, found that the the damage done by sitting for such long periods cannot be undone by exercising, though when combined with a lack of physical activity, the association was even stronger. Women and men who both sat more and were less physically active were 94 percent and 48 percent more likely to die during the study period, respectively, compared with those who reported sitting the least and being most active.

Alpa Patel, a researcher behind the study, said:

Several factors could explain the positive association between time spent sitting and higher all-cause death rates .. Prolonged time spent sitting, independent of physical activity, has been shown to have important metabolic consequences, and may influence things like triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, resting blood pressure, and leptin, which are biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.

Alternative: Request from your HR department for or invest yourself in an adjustable desk that allows you to alternate between sitting and standing. Or you can try out what this blogger did and replace your office chair with a fitness ball that will allow you to use your muscles and your mind as you work.

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A study of 123,216 people over 14 years by the American Cancer Society found that women who sit for more than six hours a day were 40 percent more likely to die during the course of the study than those who sat fewer than three hours per day (men, in contrast, were about 20 percent more likely to die). The results, published in The American Journal of Epidemiology, found that the the damage done by sitting for such long periods cannot be undone by exercising, though when combined with a lack of physical activity, the association was even stronger. Women and men who both sat more and were less physically active were 94 percent and 48 percent more likely to die during the study period, respectively, compared with those who reported sitting the least and being most active.

Alpa Patel, a researcher behind the study, said:

Several factors could explain the positive association between time spent sitting and higher all-cause death rates .. Prolonged time spent sitting, independent of physical activity, has been shown to have important metabolic consequences, and may influence things like triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, resting blood pressure, and leptin, which are biomarkers of obesity and cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.

Alternative: Request from your HR department for or invest yourself in an adjustable desk that allows you to alternate between sitting and standing. Or you can try out what this blogger did and replace your office chair with a fitness ball that will allow you to use your muscles and your mind as you work.

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