A number of previous studies already linked long 'chair hours' to health conditions. Now, another study has been added to the list. The study conducted by Seungho Ryu from Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine and other researchers suggested that long chair hours are killing us. The study has linked sedentary behavior and lack of physical activity to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

The study researchers concluded that people who spend too many hours sitting in chairs could have increased risk of developing the NAFLD disease. The disease is among the causes of fatty liver that occur when fat is deposited in the liver. In some rare cases, the condition could lead an individual to experience liver failure.

The study had included more than 139,000 individuals who completed their physical at various hospitals. According to the study, participants who spent five or more hours a day while sitting on chairs had about 9% increased risk of developing the disease, compared to the individuals who sat less than five hours a day.

The study researchers noted that effects of sitting for a long time on a chair remained strong even after regular exercise. They said that the most worrisome thing that they found was that higher risk of the disease was available in those individuals who sat for more than five hours a day on chair, but were with normal range body mass index.

"Exercise, however, did seem to have an independent effect on risk of the disease as well. Those who were less physically active consistently showed higher risk of NAFLD than those who were more active", the study found.