Eating At Desk At The Workplace Increases Blood Clot Risk

Today’s office workers are exposed to very high health risks due to the specifics of their work. That is why nowadays, working in offices is considered almost as risky as working in mines or working shifts. Sitting in the office all day and working at a PC station for a long period of time is linked to increased risk of such diseases as heart attack, heart disease and other serious cardiovascular conditions, respiratory ailments, colon cancer, breast cancer, and many more. Negative health effects of sedentary lifestyle include elevated risks for kidney stones, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome and related health conditions, elevated blood pressure, blood clot risk and deep vein thrombosis, anxiety, depression and other psychological disorders.

According to the findings of a study published in 2004 in the South China Morning Post, sedentary lifestyle and a lack of physical activities cause more deaths and should be considered more harmful than smoking. The scientists at the University of Hong Kong and the Department of Health have found that sedentary lifestyle is associated with higher risk of dying from heart disease which is 52 per cent for men and 28 percent for women, the risk of dying from cancer is 45 percent higher for men and 28 percent higher for women, and the risk of dying from respiratory health condition is 92 percent higher for men, and 75 percent higher for women. Read more about the most serious health risks linked to office job in this article.

It turns out that not only sitting all day at your desk without rising and getting involved in some physical activities causes increased risks for the mentioned diseases. There is a new habit which has turned into a very common one among modern workers of offices and bureaus. More and more office workers prefer not going out anywhere to have lunch and this way do at least some exercise on the open air, but choose eating at desk at their workplace. A group of American experts has estimated that as much as 75 percent of modern office workers have changed their daily routine and prefer spending their 10-hour working day without going out for lunch. They consider eating at desk a good decision for their productivity.

It is true that there are a few advantages of this seemingly harmless habit. First of all, eating at desk without leaving the office helps to save some time and be back to work as soon as possible which can be valued highly by bosses and superiors, especially if the job is extra stressful or really urgent. Besides, eating at desk can be considered a great solution to save some money because it allows an office worker to reduce his or her lunch expenses. Finally, eating at desk is a way to making the lunch a little healthier. Instead of going out and having a lunch in a fast food restaurant nearby, it is possible to bring something home made as a much healthier food choice and a better alternative to what is offered by fast food restaurants.

As the study has found out, eating at desk is associated with twice higher blood clot risk and causing serious disease known as DVT (deep vein thrombosis). DVT is a health condition which is becoming more and more common in today’s society. According to the latest information from the Office for National Statistics, over 60,000 people in today’s United Kingdom suffer from this disease, though many experts warn about thousands of possibly undetected cases since in 80 percent of patients the disease has no visible signs till its latest stages. At that, statistics specialists say that the number of DVT patients have been drastically increasing lately, especially in those people under 40. In the year 2007 the increase in number of death cause by this health condition had a 67 percent increase, and in 2010 the increase was over 95 percent compared to the beginning of the decade.

Those who suffer from DVT are exposing themselves to high risk of leg amputation and even death (it happens usually when blood clots from veins travel through body and go to the lungs). It is reported that in 2010, a total number of people who’ve lost their lives due to deep vein thrombosis reached 3,800 Britons, and from 3 to 15 percent of deaths from Pulmonary thromboembolism. The recommended approaches to avoid DVT include keeping active and getting involved in plenty of exercise during the day, getting rid of extra pounds and staying in healthy weight, giving up bad habits, primarily smoking, and consuming a healthy diet low in fat and salt. Consider this very important information which can possibly save your life or the lives those around you.

Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.

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