Health benefits in breaks for the deskbound

Plenty of breaks from the desk or sofa – even for just one minute at a time – can lower levels of potentially-harmful glucose and fats in the blood, and are linked to smaller waists.

It also cuts the presence of C-reactive proteins, high levels of which are linked to inflammation and heart disease.

Experts in Australia and the United States said people who took the highest number of breaks had, on average, a waist circumference just over an inch and half less than those taking the fewest.

Those who sit around have more problems, including higher levels of bad cholesterol.

The findings are published in the European Heart Journal.