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A number of researchers have suggested before that sitting for long hours in a day entail a series of health issues for people. Now a new research has revealed that even women who make sure that they get ample physical activity or exercise regularly cannot avoid consequences of long hours of sitting.

This study calls for public health recommendations to encourage Americans to limit the amount of time they spend sitting every day, said Lynette L. Craft, first author of the study and an adjunct assistant professor in preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

"We all know someone who gets a good workout in every day, but then spends a large portion of their day sitting in front of a computer with few breaks," Craft said. "If these people could replace some of the sitting with light activity--just getting up, moving around, maybe standing up when talking on the phone, walking down the hall instead of sending an email--we do think they could gain health benefits."

The Northwestern research was done in collaboration with Ted Zderic, of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, reports Medial Xpress.

Previous studies have suggested that those who sit for extended periods of time, even if they exercise regularly to meet the recommendations, are probe to developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancers.

This is the first study to have made use of an objective measuring device to examine how the government recommended Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans influences those who sit for long hours.

According to the guidelines provided by the government, an adult must engage in a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity per week.

In the current study, while many women either met or exceeded 150 minutes of physical activity per week, the total amount of time spent by women in physical activity accounted for only a fraction of their day. The women spent an average of nine hours a day sitting.

"I think some people assume, 'If I'm getting my 30 to 40 minutes of physical activity a day, I'm doing what I need to do for my health,'" Craft said. "Of course, exercise is very important and is associated with many positive health benefits, but negative health consequences are associated with prolonged sitting, and this study shows that just because you're physically active doesn't mean you're sitting less."

For the study, 91 healthy women ranging in age from age 40 to 75 wore an activPAL activity monitor device during waking hours for a week.

The device, worn on the thigh, could record the time spent sitting, standing and stepping, and exercising either moderately or intensely.

Craft said, that Americans should try and replace some of the sitting time with more light activity throughout the day, apart from ensuring a regular exercise regime.  

There need to be more studies conducted on perhaps men, elders and children in order to further examine the type of exercise recommended in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and sitting, Craft said.

The research was published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.