Sitting: As Bad As Smoking?!

Lots of us spend HOURS a day sitting on our bums. And we’re often told that this is terrible for us — even that it could be as bad for our health as smoking. But how bad is it really? And can exercise or standing desks help make up for all those hours on the couch?? We dig into what happens inside our bodies when we sit all day — with sedentary behavior researchers Prof. David Dunstan and Prof. Bethany Barone Gibbs. 

Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsSitting

In this episode, we cover:

(01:25) How sitting became so scary

(06:33) What is sitting doing to us? 

(16:38) Can standing help? 

(22:47) What we can do 

This episode was produced by Michelle Dang, with help from Meryl Horn, Ekedi Fausther-Keeys, and Rose Rimler. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. Fact checking by Diane Kelly. Video editing & sound by Bobby Lord. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, So Wylie, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. Thanks to the researchers we spoke to for this episode including Dr. Kaitlin Gallagher, as well as Humdinger Studios in Melbourne, and Wolff Island Studios in New York City. 

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find us on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

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