433K People Die Every Year Because They Sat for Too Long

You might want to sit down for this. On second thought, keep standing. A study published last month in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that sitting for more than three hours per day is responsible for 3.8%—or approximately 433,000—of all deaths worldwide every year. At this point, it's old news that sitting for long periods of time is bad for your health. But who knew it could be this deadly? According to a press release, researchers looked at data collected from 54 countries between 2002 and 2011. They found that more than 60% of the world's population sits for more than three hours per day, with the average being approximately 4.7 hours.

The highest amount of sitting-related deaths were in the Western Pacific and parts of Europe, AFP reports. Lebanon and the Netherlands topped the list, while Mexico and Myanmar had the fewest sitting-related deaths. Researchers found that eliminating sitting could increase overall life expectancy by 0.2 years, while reducing daily sitting time by two hours could decrease an individual's mortality by 2.4%. Even sitting for 30 minutes less per day can have a positive impact on mortality. "It is important to minimize sedentary behavior in order to prevent premature deaths around the world," the study's lead author says. (Even some activity can keep death at bay for couch potatoes.)