Standing desks do not reduce risk of stroke and heart failure, study suggests
They have been billed as the ultimate antidote to sitting in front of a screen all day at the office.But a study suggests standing desks, which have soared in popularity in recent years, do not compensate for being inactive and may even increase the risk of conditions such as swollen veins and blood clots in the legs.Research involving more than 80,000 adults in the UK has also discovered that standing does not reduce the risk of diseases such as stroke and heart failure, despite the widely held belief that it does.The study, led by the University of Sydney, found that being on your feet for more than two hours a day may increase the risk of developing problems such as deep vein thrombosis and varicose veins.The findings were published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Dr Matthew Ahmadi, of the University of Sydney’s faculty of medicine and health, said people who sat or stood for long periods should schedule regular movement throughout the day,“The key takeaway is that standing for too long will not offset an otherwise sedentary lifestyle and could be risky for some people in terms of circulatory health,We found that standing more does not improve cardiovascular health over the long-term and increases the risk of circulatory issues,” Ahmadi said,To establish if standing provided any health benefits, the researchers studied data from 83,013 adults who are part of the UK Biobank health records database,These people did not have heart disease at the start of the study and wore devices on their wrists to track movement.
The team found that for every extra 30 minutes spent standing beyond two hours, the risk of circulatory disease increased by 11%.Standing was not found to reduce the risk of heart conditions such as stroke, heart failure and coronary heart disease, the researchers said.Prof Emmanuel Stamatakis, the director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub at the University of Sydney, said: “For people who sit for long periods on a regular basis, including plenty of incidental movement throughout the day and structured exercise may be a better way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.“Take regular breaks, walk around, go for a walking meeting, use the stairs, take regular breaks when driving long distances, or use that lunch hour to get away from the desk and do some movement.”Emily McGrath, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation who was not involved with the research, said the findings highlighted the importance of being active during the working day.
“The more people can avoid being stationary, the better,” she said.“Over the long term, the study showed that standing time was not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, however it did have other circulatory health implications for some.It is important to get active to reduce this risk.”
Tory MP says Badenoch too ‘preoccupied with her children’ to lead party
A veteran Conservative MP has sparked outrage after saying he would not support Kemi Badenoch to be the Tory party leader because she is “preoccupied with her own children”.Sir Christopher Chope told ITV News that the frontrunner in his party’s leadership race would be unable to commit to the role of leader of the opposition as she has young children.Chope said he would support Badenoch’s opponent, the former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, adding: “I myself am supporting Robert Jenrick because I think he’s brought more energy and commitment to the campaign, and being leader of the opposition is a really demanding job.“Much as I like Kemi, I think she’s preoccupied with her own children, quite understandably. I think Robert’s children are a bit older, and I think that it’s important that whoever leads the opposition has got an immense amount of time and energy
Akshata Murty could receive up to £7.5m after Infosys increases dividend
Infosys, one of India’s largest software companies, has reported an increase in its dividend, with a significant payout for the leader of the opposition, Rishi Sunak, and his wife, Akshata Murty.The IT outsourcing company has increased its interim dividend by 16.7% this year, according to its latest results, meaning Murty could receive a payout of up to £7.5m on her holding, which is now worth around £703m.The businesswoman may have to pay as much as £3m to the Treasury for this year’s dividend alone after she said she would pay UK tax on her worldwide income in 2022
Farage given free team of US PR advisers by former Bannon aide’s firm
Nigel Farage has used a team of three US advisers to help him with “perception management” and public relations in America, as well as with settling a $3,500 hotel bill this summer, new documents show.The official filings, made in the US, reveal that the leader of Reform UK and MP for Clacton has been assisted at least 15 times by CapitalHQ, a firm led by Alexandra Preate, who is a former press spokesperson for the controversial former Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon.Its work for Farage has become public because CapitalHQ had to register with the government under “foreign agent” laws in the US. Preate and two of her employees have declared they were paid salaries by CapitalHQ while carrying out activities on behalf of a “foreign principal” after Farage became an MP in July.According to the documents, CapitalHQ was hired to take on activities for Farage including “promotion, perception management, public relations, speeches, appearances, communications, travel, accommodation and logistics and other political activities in furtherance of political interests of the foreign principal”
Sir Tom Hunter confirms he paid for Alex Salmond’s body to be flown home
Sir Tom Hunter, one of Scotland’s wealthiest men, has confirmed he has paid for Alex Salmond’s body to be flown home from the Balkans.Hunter, a multimillionaire investor and philanthropist, was ambivalent about Scottish independence and was often critical of Scottish government policy but said Salmond had “devoted his life to Scotland”.Speculation was rife about who had privately funded the charter flight due to bring Salmond’s body home from North Macedonia on Friday, after he died suddenly at a lunch on Saturday.Officials in the former first minister’s party, Alba, believed the donor wanted to remain anonymous until Salmond’s funeral, which is expected to take place in private in his home village of Strichen, Aberdeenshire.Hunter, who donated £100,000 to the Labour party in 2001, said he wanted to end the speculation after significant media inquiries
Half of Tory councillors do not believe Jenrick or Badenoch can win next election
Almost half of Conservative councillors polled this week believe that neither Robert Jenrick nor Kemi Badenoch will be able to win the next election, and a significant minority said they did not plan to vote in the leadership contest.Pollsters at Savanta said they detected a small boycott movement among councillors dissatisfied with the choice between the two candidates, who both come from the party’s right.James Cleverly, who went out in the final round of MPs’ votes, was the most popular among the 379 councillors who were polled. Badenoch came third and Jenrick fourth.The poll comes ahead of the first head-to-head televised interviews between the final two candidates, and as ballots arrive with party members
Bridget Phillipson unaware of any cabinet minister who declined free Taylor Swift tickets
Bridget Phillipson has said she does not know of any cabinet minister who turned down free Taylor Swift tickets amid a row about freebies and the pop star’s security arrangements.The education secretary said she would not accept more free tickets after the controversy, which has dogged Labour’s first few months in government.Asked whether she knew of any colleagues who declined free tickets to see Swift, the education secretary told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “I don’t. I know many of us were very lucky to receive those tickets, it’s a real privilege and I completely recognise how fortunate I’ve been in doing so.”She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that while she would not repay the £522
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