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For postmenopausal women, just standing up improves heart health

California researchers found an improvement in blood pressure

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Mark Huffman
Reporter

Mark Huffman has covered consumer issues since 2004, with a special focus on protecting and empowering older adults. A former news correspondent for the Associated Press Radio Network, Westwood One, and ConsumerAffairs, Mark brings decades of journalistic experience to RetirementLiving.com. He is passionate about giving consumers a voice and helping them make informed decisions. Mark has also created educational content, including Senior Scam Alert, a video resource designed to help seniors recognize and avoid fraud. He holds a B.A. from the University of Kentucky and lives with his family in Richmond, Virginia.
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Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash

Key Insights

  • Standing up more often may improve heart health in postmenopausal women.
  • A UC San Diego study links frequent sit-to-stand movements to lower blood pressure.
  • Benefits observed without increasing vigorous exercise or reducing overall sitting time.

A new study by researchers at the University of California San Diego suggests that something as simple as standing up more often throughout the day may offer measurable heart health benefits for postmenopausal women, particularly those who are overweight or living with obesity.

The study, published in the journal Circulation, found that women who increased the number of times they rose from a seated position each day saw modest but significant reductions in diastolic blood pressure over a three-month period,  even without making major lifestyle changes like exercising more or significantly reducing total sitting time.

“Public health messaging urges us to sit less but doesn’t tell us the best ways to do that,” said lead author Sheri Hartman, of the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. 

“Our findings suggest that interrupting sitting with brief standing breaks — even if you don’t sit less — can support healthy blood pressure and improve health.”

Rethinking sedentary behavior

The study, known as the Rise for Health Study, was a randomized controlled trial involving postmenopausal women — a population that often spends a significant portion of their day sitting and is at higher risk for conditions like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

Participants were divided into three groups:

  • Sit less group: Encouraged to reduce their overall sitting time.
  • Sit-to-stand group: Focused on standing up more frequently throughout the day.
  • Control group: Received general health information without behavior modification guidance.

After three months, the sit-to-stand group had increased their daily standing movements by an average of 25 times. This group showed a measurable reduction in diastolic blood pressure — 2.24 mmHg lower than the control group. 

While this decrease did not meet the clinical threshold for significance (usually 3–5 mmHg), researchers emphasized that these early changes could be meaningful over time.

In contrast, the “sit less” group reduced sitting time by 75 minutes per day and showed slight blood pressure improvements, but they were not statistically significant.

What makes this study especially notable is its emphasis on small, achievable behavior changes. Rather than prescribing intensive exercise routines, the intervention allowed participants to set personal goals like standing up twice an hour.