久坐已被貼上“新式吸煙”的標(biāo)簽，越來(lái)越多身體方面的研究將久坐習(xí)慣與多種健康問(wèn)題聯(lián)系在一起，比如新陳代謝緩慢，罹患心臟病的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)增加等。上周四，科學(xué)期刊《PLOS ONE 》刊發(fā)的一篇小規(guī)模新研究報(bào)告得出了同樣結(jié)論，認(rèn)為長(zhǎng)期久坐可能導(dǎo)致記憶衰退和認(rèn)知力下降。

該研究以35名45歲到75歲的成人為對(duì)象。研究人員利用腦部掃描測(cè)量每位受試者的內(nèi)側(cè)顳葉（MTL）——對(duì)記憶至關(guān)重要的大腦部位，并詢問(wèn)每天靜坐和四處活動(dòng)的時(shí)間。雖然不可能得出明確清晰的因果關(guān)系，但研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，MTL體積下降與靜坐時(shí)間增多有關(guān)，這意味著，靜坐過(guò)久確實(shí)可能導(dǎo)致認(rèn)知力減退。

根據(jù)各項(xiàng)研究結(jié)果，我們可能下定決心要戒掉久坐的習(xí)慣。但做決定沒(méi)那么簡(jiǎn)單，也要參考其他研究。今年2月另一份科學(xué)期刊《Ergonomics》刊登的研究說(shuō)，長(zhǎng)期站立可能也不太健康。該研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，如果一個(gè)工作日里站立兩個(gè)小時(shí)可能會(huì)讓人不適，可能難以保持專注和精力。

這樣說(shuō)來(lái)，整天久坐或者久站都不好，到底該怎么辦公？紐約長(zhǎng)老教會(huì)健康照護(hù)系統(tǒng)與康奈爾大學(xué)Weill醫(yī)學(xué)中心的阿爾茨海默癥預(yù)防治療診所主任、理查德·艾薩克森博士表示，沒(méi)有放之四海而皆準(zhǔn)的辦法。

艾薩克森說(shuō)，“要根據(jù)個(gè)人情況決定”，身體狀況、骨骼問(wèn)題、妊娠和體重等因素都可能決定是否更適合站立工作。他認(rèn)為，選擇具體方式最好的方法就是咨詢私人醫(yī)生。

但艾薩克森認(rèn)為，應(yīng)該盡量減少靜坐的時(shí)間，這點(diǎn)已經(jīng)過(guò)大量科學(xué)證據(jù)證明?！白C據(jù)太多了，要我說(shuō)還有更有力的證據(jù)，總之一天坐八個(gè)小時(shí)很不健康，”他說(shuō)，“不利于促進(jìn)新陳代謝，而且會(huì)影響壽命。”

把靜坐改為站立可能也不是萬(wàn)靈藥，多四處走動(dòng)，飲食規(guī)律，定期運(yùn)動(dòng)，對(duì)保持身心健康都很重要。艾薩克森稱，每天至少采取至少一種方法可能有幫助。他還表示，在阿爾茨海默癥預(yù)防治療診所經(jīng)常這樣建議病人。（他還建議減少背部和關(guān)節(jié)承受的壓力，要穿支撐性良好的鞋，站在軟墊子上。）

要是你不適合站著工作，艾薩克森認(rèn)為，只要保證身體基本健康也可以借助一些輔助工具，比如坐在健身球上，這樣至少能激活核心肌肉，讓新陳代謝保持正常水平。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：Pessy

審校：夏林

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Sitting has been dubbed “the new smoking” due to the ever-accumulating body of research linking our sedentary lifestyles to everything from poor metabolic health to an increased risk of heart disease. And on Thursday, a small new study published in the journal PLOS ONE added to that chorus, suggesting that too much sitting may over time contribute to memory loss and cognitive decline.

The study looked at 35 adults between the ages of 45 and 75. Researchers took brain scans to measure the thickness of each person’s medial temporal lobe (MTL) — a part of the brain crucial to memory — and quizzed each person about how much time per day they spend sitting and moving around. While it wasn’t possible to identify a clear cause-and-effect relationship, the researchers did find that increased sedentary time was associated with decreased MTL volume, suggesting that excessive sitting may be a risk factor for cognitive decline.

Based on findings like those, you couldn’t be blamed for swearing off your desk chair. But that decision grows more complicated when you consider studies like one published in February in the journal Ergonomics, which says long bouts on your feet may not be so healthy, either. Standing for a two-hour chunk during the work day, that study found, may lead to physical discomfort all over the body, and make it harder to stay focused and energized.

So if it’s not great to sit or stand all day, what should you do at the office? Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, says there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

“An individual person needs to make a decision based on what’s best for them,” Isaacson says, adding factors including physical fitness, orthopedic issues, pregnancy and body weight could all make someone more or less suited to standing at work. The best way to make a choice for yourself, he says, is to consult your doctor.

That said, Isaacson says the bulk of scientific evidence supports the notion that we should minimize time spent sitting. “There’s way more evidence, and I would say stronger evidence, that suggests when someone sits for eight hours a day, it’s not good for you,” he says. “It’s not good for the metabolic health, it’s not good for longevity.”

Switching to a standing desk may not be a cure-all — moving throughout the day, eating well, and exercising regularly are also important for brain and body health. But Isaacson says using one for at least part of the day may help, adding that he regularly advises patients in his Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic to do so. (He does recommend wearing supportive shoes and standing on a soft mat, to reduce strain on the back and joints.)

If standing at the office really doesn’t work for you, however, Isaacson says there may be happy medium, so long as you have a baseline level of physical fitness: sitting on a balance ball, which at least activates the core and keeps your metabolism firing throughout the day.