The term “sitting is the new smoking” became popular after research linked prolonged sitting to increased risk of chronic diseases, similar to the risks associated with smoking.
Health Risks of Prolonged Sitting
Metabolic slowdowns
Heart Disease
Higher Mortality risk
Weight gain
Mental health impact
Similarities:
• Both are independent risk factors for chronic illness.
• Both can contribute to early mortality.
• Both have widespread public health impact.
Differences:
• Smoking introduces toxic substances directly into the body.
• Sitting is a passive lifestyle risk, and its effects are reversible with activity.
Sitting isn’t as dangerous as smoking, but sitting too much without movement is a serious health risk.
Sitting is the new smoking is this a fair comparison or an exaggeration? Share your viewpoint.
Sitting for Long hours can cause heart disease , weight gain but it is not as dangerous as Smoking but it is still a serious health issue if we don’t stay active
We don’t even realize how much we sit in a day—study, work, phone, everything needs sitting. Slowly it becomes our routine. It may not be as harmful as smoking, but still dangerous when we ignore movement for long hours. Even small breaks, stretching, or walking few steps can make a big difference. Let’s take care before it turns into a habit we regret.
Prolonged sitting and a sedentary lifestyle is indeed harmful and can cuase health problems like obesity, diabetes, heart problems. But, it is not equivalent to smoking as smoking causes much dangerous health hazards like cancer, respiratory problems and premature death. However, it is always better to include regular physical activities and avoid prolonged sitting and sedentary lifestyle to maintain good health.
I think it’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the message is important. Sitting too much may not be as harmful as smoking, but it still affects our health badly. The good part is, we can reduce the risk just by staying more active during the day.
The comparison was done to create the necessary awareness around what can happen when someone is just sitting and being sedentary most of the time and how dangerous the impacts can be exactly like the impacts caused through smoking. I feel the comparison makes much sense, as in today’s time, being sedentary is more dangerous than smoking. A person who’s smoking, they are probably aware what they are doing and what can happen if that process goes uncontrolled, but people who are sedentary, they have very less awareness about what it’s doing to their body. A sedentary person can get the same disease a smoker gets like Cancers, Hypertension, Cardiovascular diseases, Obesity, Diabetes, Mental health concerns like Anxiety and Depression, several Deficiencies in the body, Bone and Muscle issues, Stomach and Abdominal issues etc. A sedentary life in today’s time can bring in lots of health issues very soon at an early age, so it’s important to have a target of walking atleast around 10k steps per day. One can start first and then build it up slowly and gradually as the body keeps getting used to it. It has been seen that, people within India do not even walk 2k steps per day and here, the awareness needs to come soon.