Office workers could lose almost 3.1kg a year by standing at their desks. Photo / 123RF
Office workers could lose almost 3.1kg a year simply by standing up at their desks, research suggests.
The international study of more than 1,000 men and women found that standing instead of sitting for six hours a day burned an extra 54 calories daily - resulting in significant weight loss.
The research, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, found that standing burned almost twice as many calories in men compared with women, reflecting the fact that those with greater muscle mass burn calories more quickly.
The study, which examined data from 1,184 people taking part in 46 previous studies, found the average difference in energy expenditure between sitting and standing was 0.15 calories a minute.
It means those who spent six hours of the day standing rather than sitting could expect to lose almost 2.7kg in a year - amounting to more than 6.3kg in four years - if they did not change their diet.
