Prolonged standing increases lower limb arterial stiffness

Standing workstations have recently been promoted as a healthy alternative to sitting. However, it is unknown how prolonged standing affects arterial stiffness, a prognostic indicator of cardiovascular health. The purpose of this study was twofold: to observe changes in arterial stiffness, as assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV), with a 2-h bout of standing, and to determine if short, intermittent walking bouts provide a comparative advantage to standing alone.

Nineteen adults had arterial stiffness assessed by pulse wave velocity. Central (C_PWV), upper peripheral (U_PWV), and lower peripheral (L_PWV) PWV were assessed before (supine), during standing (min 10, 60, and 120), and after (supine) the 2-h standing bout. In one trial, the participants stood at a standing desk immobile for 2 h. In the other trial, participants performed 5-min walking breaks after every 25 min of standing.

After 2-h of standing, supine (85.8 ± 90.1 cm/s) and standing (303.4 ± 390.2 cm/s), L_PWV increased independent of trial (i.e., main effect of time; p < 0.001). Walking breaks during 2 h of standing did not significantly attenuate these changes. In addition, standing C_PWV decreased over time (- 38.5 ± 61.5 cm/s; p = 0.04). Yet, U_PWV, standing or supine, did not change over the course of standing (p > 0.05).

These findings indicate that prolonged standing increases the measures of arterial stiffness and there is no evidence that walk breaks attenuate this response.