Can your standing desk raise health risks? A new study says you can go too far

A new study says that using a standing desk at work promotes health, but it can be too much of a good thing. The trick is finding a balance between time spent sitting and standing.

The term “sitting is the new smoking” has been cautioning office-workers against being sedentary in recent years, but a new study suggests that some may be swinging too far in the other direction.

Standing desks have risen in popularity, with the global market valued at USD $7.75 billion, but new research warns against relying too much on them.

The study, led by the University of Sydney and published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, studied 83, 013 adults in the United Kingdom to assess daily time spent sitting and standing. The study found that being on your feet for more than two hours a day can cause problems such as varicose veins, but does little to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease that comes with prolonged sitting.

Patricia Doyle-Baker, from the faculty of kinesiology at the University of Calgary, said, “Anybody who stands for a long period of time in a very still position is going to have some issues associated with either muscular-skeletal system or they’ll have blood pooling in their legs and in their feet.”

However, Doyle-Baker said that what the study points out is not that standing desks are inherently bad for your health, but that holding any position for prolonged periods of time can be bad — whether it’s sitting or standing.

Scott Lear, professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser University, said, “It’s not just sitting. It’s sedentary behaviour that is problematic — not moving.”

He said, “It’s a different posture than sitting. But as this study showed, it comes also with its own risks for heart disease and other things like varicose veins.”

Doyle-Baker said, “This article is not saying don’t necessarily not stand at your desk, but think about the prolonged amount of time standing at your desk.”