Dangers of sitting at a desk all day

Those who have worked for more than a decade at a computer terminal are twice likely to develop bowel cancer, scientists have said.

Spending ten years in front of a PC almost doubles the risk of bowel cancer even if one goes to the gym.

A study conducted by the University of Western Australia found that one of the main risk factors was long periods of inactivity.

Dr Claire Knight, of Cancer Research UK, said, "The more active we are the more we can help reduce our risk", `The Sun` reported.

The amount of time people spend staring at screens has a direct link to heart health, cardiologists say.

Those who work 11 hours a day raise their risk of heart disease by 67 per cent, according to researchers at University College London.

Sitting for long periods without getting up have a larger waist circumference and higher levels of bad cholesterol, experts in Australia have found.

Dr Genevieve Healy, from the University of Queensland, said, "Even small changes, as little as standing up for one minute, might help to lower this health risk."

According to data made available by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) one third of us sit for more than ten hours a day and half do not leave their desks - even to have lunch.

Slouching at your computer means you are more likely to be a sufferer. Rishi Loatey, of the BCA, said: "Our bodies are not designed to be so sedentary."

Working from dawn to dusk has been linked with dementia. Middle-aged employees toiling more than 55 hours a week have poorer mental skills and short-term memory than those on less than 41 hours, research has found. Dr John Challenor said: "Enormous amounts of time doing the same task causes brain ache."

Keyboards of computer harbour more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat, studies show. Microbiologist Dr Peter Wilson said a keyboard was often "a reflection of what is in your nose and in your gut".