Modern hunter-gatherers are just as sedentary as we are

Enlarge / These positions are commonly seen when Hadza individuals are inactive. (credit: Flickr user Kiwiexplorer)

People have taken various measures to keep from being sedentary, including activity monitors, standing desks, and smartphones and watches that prod us to get out of our chairs. All of that effort is based on a growing body of studies indicating that too much time seated is associated with a variety of health risks. Other work has suggested that it takes very little time out of our seats to ensure better health.

It's a somewhat odd set of findings, given that many other mammals have lifestyles optimized for sloth (including, obviously, the sloth). That has led to the idea that humanity's recent evolutionary history-one in which we spent millions of years as hunter-gatherers-has optimized us for an active lifestyle. The sedentary lifestyle of developed economies isn't bad for us in itself; instead, it simply represents a mismatch to our metabolism.

But is there any evidence that this is the case? A group of researchers have worked with some modern hunter-gatherers and found that the answer is both yes and no. While the hunter-gatherers are even more sedentary than those in an industrialized nation, they tend to spend more of that time squatting and kneeling-activities that involve more muscle activity than sitting in a chair.

Read 10 remaining paragraphs | Comments