Sitting for long periods of time makes your body age 8 years.

A new study finds that sitting for 10 hours or more a day shortens the protective telomeres in our DNA, making us age by eight years.

Sitting for long periods of time is linked to a host of diseases, from obesity to diabetes, and can even cause premature death. Scientists have recently discovered that sedentary habits can also damage cells, accelerating the aging process.

Sitting too much makes the body age faster. Photo: Startswithyou.

According toTimes, a team of experts led by family medicine student Aladdin Shadyab from the University of San Diego (USA) examined the impact of sitting habits on chromosomes in 1,500 women, focusing mainly on telomeres that protect the two ends of chromosomes. Previous studies have shown that telomeres shorten as cells age, leading to the conclusion that telomere length can determine the age of cells as well as their owners.

Through his work, Aladdin Shadyab found that women who do not exercise 30 minutes a day and sit for 10 hours or more a day have short telomeres, making their bodies age by 8 years."Our findings show that a sedentary lifestyle shortens telomeres. Biologically, people who do not exercise enough age faster and their cells age faster," Shadya concluded.

It is not yet clear how much physical activity is needed to prevent the effects of aging on cells, but experts say sitting less and moving more is key to helping people stay youthful.

According to VNE