Women who sit for long periods at risk of frailty

Women who spend more time sitting down are at higher risk of becoming frail as they age, a study has found.

Researchers from University of Queensland in Australia looked into the sitting patterns of almost 5,500 middle-aged women over a 12 year period.

"Women who had high levels of sitting - about ten hours a day - were more at risk of becoming frail," said Paul Gardiner, from University of Queensland.

Those with consistently less sitting time had a lower risk of developing problems, according to the study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

"We classed 5.5 hours sitting per day as a medium level of sitting, while 3.5 hours per day represented a low level. Frailty means that you have fewer reserves to recover from illness or injury," he added.

"It's also linked to increased risk of hospitalisation, falls, moving into residential care facilities, and premature mortality," he said.

Gardiner said fortunately the effects of sitting too long could be reversed.

"Participants who decreased their sitting time by approximately two hours per day reduced their risk of vulnerability," he said.

"In order to remove the increased risk altogether, women should try and limit their sitting time to low or medium levels, as well as being physically active," Gardiner said.