Researchers, through a new study, have suggested that fidgeting while work may help to reduce the negative health effects of sitting for long hours. Findings of the study were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The study researchers in Britain studied the data collected from 12,000 women who were asked to answer questions about their diets, alcohol intake, exercise habits, fidgeting and many other lifestyle habits.

The participants were also asked information about their health and body weight. The team was also informed about any participants who died during the course of the study. At the end of 12 years, the team looked for any relationships between the variables.

The team found that longer time spent sitting was linked to mortality. Among women, who sat for more than seven hours a day and who didn’t fidget much, risk of mortality was 43% higher as compared to women who sat for less than five hours.

The most surprising thing for researchers was that they found fidgety seemed to counteract the problem. They found that the middle and high-fidgeting groups didn’t have any greater risk of death even sitting more than seven hours every day.

Janet Cade, researcher from the University of Leeds, said, “When sitting for prolonged periods, any movement might be good. So although it might not be possible to sit less during the day due to work commitments, if people fidget at their desk it could be beneficial”.

The researchers said it is likely that fidgeting improves the metabolism. Cade said in a statement that although the study was not able to study potential mechanisms, fidgeting might have beneficial effects through a role in offsetting the negative effects of sitting.