Standing Up More Frequently Might Protect Seniors' Heart Health

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com

via HealthDay

THURSDAY, Aug. 7, 2025 — There’s a simple way older women can protect their heart health, a new study argues.

Just stand up.

Women who started standing up from a seated position more often during their day experienced notable improvement in blood pressure after three months, researchers reported recently in the journal Circulation.

Taking these short-standing breaks appeared to boost heart health even though the women didn’t increase their overall levels of intense exercise, researchers said.

“Our findings suggest that while sitting less was helpful, interrupting sitting with brief standing breaks — even if you don't sit less — can support healthy blood pressure and improve health,” lead researcher Sheri Hartman, a professor of public health and human longevity science at the University of California-San Diego, said in a news release.

For the study, researchers recruited more than 400 postmenopausal women who were overweight or obese, and randomly assigned them to one of three groups. The women had an average age of nearly 68.

One group was asked to reduce their sitting time, another to increase the number of times they rose from a sitting position, and a third to act as they normally do. All three groups were provided coaching sessions on healthy aging.

The women complied with the directives. Those in the “sit less” group wound up cutting their sitting time by 58 minutes a day, and the “stand more” group increased their sit-to-stand transitions by 26 per day, compared to the control group.

Results show that after three months the sit-to-stand group experienced a decrease in their systolic and diastolic blood pressure:

  • Systolic blood pressure: The amount of pressure in blood vessels during a heartbeat declined by more than 3 mm/HG.
  • Diastolic blood pressure: The pressure in vessels between heartbeats declined by more than 2 mm/HG.
  • These decreases were not statistically significant, but researchers argue that the results show that standing up more often can influence blood pressure.

    The sit less group had no real changes to their blood pressure, researchers said. Neither group experienced improvement in their blood sugar levels.

    “What excites me most about this study is that women set their own goals and made a real difference in their sitting behaviors,” researcher Andrea LaCroix, a professor of public health and human longevity science at UC-San Diego, said in a news release. “With a little coaching, we can teach ourselves to sit less and it makes a tangible difference to our short-and long-term health.”

    Researchers plan to perform a follow-up study that will last longer, given that significant improvements in heart health might take longer than three months to occur.

    “Adapting real-world interventions that are easy, realistic and aligned with our personal goals — such as stand up from sitting 25 extra times per day, like two times per hour over 12 hours — may be doable for so many of us,” LaCroix said.

    Sources

  • University of California-San Diego, news release, Aug. 4, 2025
  • Circulation, Aug. 4, 2025
  • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords