London, April 20 (IANS): Workers please take note! Taking frequent breaks to reduce sitting time at workplace can help you cut extra body fat, thus lowering the risk of heart disease, diabetes and early death.

The results which were followed up for three months showed a reduction of 0.61 percent in body fat in study participants. 

This was as a result of 71-minute shorter sitting time per day during working hours after one month.

"A reduction in sitting time by 71 minutes per day could have positive effect in the long run as this could be associated with reduced risk of heart diseases, diabetes and all-cause mortality, especially among those who are inactive," said professor Janne Tolstrup from National Institute of Public Health, Denmark.

Researchers from University of Southern Denmark, the National Research Centre for Prevention and Health and the University of Sydney conducted a multi-component work-based intervention to reduce sitting time and prolonged sitting periods. 

The team analysed 317 office workers in 19 offices across Denmark and Greenland randomly put into the intervention or control groups. 

The intervention included environmental office changes and a lecture and workshop, where workers were encouraged to use their sit-stand desks. 

By wearing an accelerometer device, the researchers were able to measure results across a five-day working week.

After one month, participants in the intervention group sat down for 71 minutes less in an eight-hour work day than the control group. This reduced to 48 minutes after three months. 

"The number of steps per workday hour was seven percent higher at one month and eight percent higher at three months," said the study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.