--- title: Why You Should Swap Two Hours of Sitting For Standing description: In new research, study authors show replacing two hours of sitting for standing or moving around may have a real positive impact on our health. canonical: https://time.com/3978950/sitting-standing-heart/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-30T23:00:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:21.526Z article:section: Health og:title: Why You Should Swap Two Hours of Sitting For Standing og:description: In new research, study authors show replacing two hours of sitting for standing or moving around may have a real positive impact on our health. og:url: https://time.com/3978950/sitting-standing-heart/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d46bb2a39c99b6b/69885d39cd684882150a10b7/stand.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2048 og:image:height: 1152 og:image:alt: 538842399 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why You Should Swap Two Hours of Sitting For Standing twitter:description: In new research, study authors show replacing two hours of sitting for standing or moving around may have a real positive impact on our health. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d46bb2a39c99b6b/69885d39cd684882150a10b7/stand.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's How Much You Should Stand Each Day > Sponsored content. 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Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=2a0ddea9-ad35-4f6b-901e-21cb10c5b510&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Explains: Trans-Fats [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Explains: Trans-Fats](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XbAGuNXW.m3u8) (1:42)  _Published 2013-11-07. The FDA announced it is moving towards a ban of trans fat. Here's what you need to know._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jul 30, 2015 11:00 PM UTC  Low Section Of Woman On Hardwood Floor Low Section Of Woman On Hardwood Floor Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jul 30, 2015 11:00 PM UTC We know that the amount of time we spend sitting each day [wreaks havoc on our health](http://time.com/sitting/), and in a new paper, researchers show that spending just two hours standing or moving around instead of sitting may have a real positive impact on our health. In the [new study](http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/recent) published Thursday in the _European Heart Journal_, researchers had 782 men and women wear activity trackers 24 hours a day for seven days. The monitors tracked how much time the men and women spent stepping, sitting, standing, sleeping or lying down. The participants also provided blood samples and other measurements like blood pressure and weight. With the data gathered from the trackers, the researchers used a mathematical model to estimate how the allotted time in each condition would impact the men and women’s health. Interestingly, they found that spending two extra hours a day standing instead of sitting was linked to better blood sugar levels and lower levels of fat in the blood (triglycerides). Specifically, more time spent standing was associated with a 2% lower average blood sugar levels and a 11% lower levels of triglycerides. Cholesterol levels showed improvement as well. The findings also showed that spending an extra two hours moving instead of sitting was linked to a significant lower body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. The study cannot definitely prove that these tweaks to the amount of time spent sitting directly causes improvements in health markers, but the researchers note that the findings do fall in line with what’s known about the impact on the body of being active (or at least not being sedentary). More research is still needed, but the findings support the longstanding advice that moving around is better for our health than lounging around, and suggest that any decisions to purchase a standing desk are not made in vain. ## Transcript The FDA announced it is moving towards a ban of trans fat. Here's what you need to know. [ MUSIC ] Trans fat is the byproduct of partially hydrogenated oils. We get trans fat when, under specific conditions, manufacturers bubble hydrogen gas through oil, and turn the liquid oil into a substance with any thickness they want [ MUSIC ] This not only gives food a desired texture, but it also increases the shelf life of processed foods, like cookies, frozen pizza, and doughnuts. However, trans fat clogs arteries and increases the risk of heart disease. It's estimated that if industry produced trans fat was eliminated, 20, 000 heart attacks and 7, 000 heart related deaths would be prevented each year. The FDA released a preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils are no longer generally recognized as safe. Without this classification, trans fats cannot be added to foods without FDA approval. [ MUSIC ] If this is finalized, these oils become unapproved food additives, and illegal to sell. It'll take some time before trans fat are completely out of our food system. Some foods like doughnuts, cookies, and frozen pizza still have trans fat. So, the FDA is allowing a 60 day commenting period for the food industry to suggest a time frame that's realistic for them. 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