The Effects of Lying, Sitting and Standing on Energy Expenditure in Young, Adult Women

Background. Sedentary behavior and the increased risk for metabolic disease are well established. Standing at work or at home to decrease time sedentary can increase daily energy expenditure, however, little research has focused on the energy expenditure differences between various sedentary positions (i.e., lying, sitting). Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the energy expenditure of lying, sitting and standing. Methods. Twenty-eight young, healthy females reported to the metabolic laboratory where each completed all positions (lying, sitting and standing) in random order. Inspired and expired gases were collected for 45-minutes (15 minutes for each position), and all three positions were measured during one continuous test. Oxygen consumption (VO2) and carbon dioxide production (VCO2) were measured to estimate resting energy expenditure (REE) and respiratory quotient (RQ). Statistical analyses used repeat measures ANOVA to analyze all variables and post hoc t-tests. Results. There w...