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How Prolonged Sitting Affects Gut Health and What to Do About It

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The negative effects of sedentary behaviour on human health are well known, but have you considered how time spent sitting impacts your gut health? In this blog, we’ll explore the connection between prolonged sitting and your gut health as well as provide some actionable tips to help you protect your digestive health. 

Effects of prolonged sitting on the gut microbiome

The gut microbiome is made up of a community of trillions of microorganisms that live in the human gut. These microbes play an important role in aiding digestion and immunity, although an overgrowth of certain microbial strains can make us sick. They can even play a role in our mood, stress levels and appetite (1).

The interconnectedness of the gut microbiome with our overall health makes it less of a surprise that exercise, or a lack of it, can influence the gut microbiome. A recent review has shown that exercising can increase microbial diversity, especially if different types of exercise (e.g. aerobic and resistance training) several days a week, are performed (1). Increased gut microbiome diversity is linked to positive health outcomes and even protects against disease (2). But what happens when we sit for long periods each day?

Several studies have shown that sedentary behavior is linked to reduced microbial diversity which is further associated with a range of chronic disease (3). However, is it that sitting more causes disease or that people who are already sick tend to sit more, skewing the results? For example, one study claims that athletes have more diverse microbiomes than non-athletes (4). Potential caveats here include that athletes might be younger, healthier and have different diets to the non-athletes. This demonstrates the importance of thinking critically about whether A really causes B, or if there might simply be a correlation between the two.

Although more data is needed, researchers O’Toole and Shiels take a more holistic perspective when searching for answers (5). They suggest that our ancestors had to stay active for survival, which helped keep their microbiomes healthy and diverse. Their paper demonstrates how sedentary animals not only have altered microbiomes, but accelerated ageing, more metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and higher BMI compared to active animals. While animal studies are useful, we should keep in mind that they have different diets, microbiomes and lifespans so they don’t always tell the whole story when it comes to human health.

Human gut health is particularly interesting because of the gut-brain axis, which helps explain the link between mental health and the gut microbiome. Prolonged sitting, including spending time at a work desk has been associated with worse mental health outcomes including depression (6,7). So, we now know that sitting for prolonged periods of time can impact our gut. In the next section, we’ll talk about the physical aspects of how sitting might be affecting us.

 

animal microbiomes

Physical Posture and Digestion

Sitting with poor posture, such as slouching or being bent over, compresses the gut and reduces blood flow. Like wearing tight jeans or shapewear, compression around the gut around from sitting impedes digestion. It can also trap gas and slow down gut motility, causing pain and other uncomfortable sensations (8). Sitting for more than five hours a day has also been shown to increase the risk of developing hemorrhoids and anal fissures which are common in people who suffer with constipation and/or diarrhea (9,10).

Interestingly, the seated position can also make it more difficult to pass stools. An investigation of different positions during bowel movements found that squatting reduces both straining or effort involved and was also associated with satisfactory emptying (11). Another study comparing seated positions points towards a straight spine and forward lean to help ease straining (12). On the other hand, a fully upright position or curved back worsened strain by compromising the spinal alignment that aids in this natural elimination process.

Practical Tips

Our key takeaways to help reduce digestive discomforts from prolonged sitting are the following:

  • Avoid sitting immediately after meals. Instead, take a gentle walk to aid digestion and avoid discomfort.
  • If sitting is an inescapable part of your daily routine, try to sit upright or in a supportive chair to help improve posture and avoid compression of the gut.
  • Change your seated position throughout the day, or break it up with short bouts of standing and walking.
  • Dress comfortably: If you are experiencing digestive discomfort, change into looser clothing. Sometimes it is okay to unbuckle your belt or unbutton your jeans!
  • Try some gut friendly exercise. Gentle stretching, yoga, and deep breathing can promote digestion and alleviate discomfort.
  • Think about other key factors such as diet, stress and sleep that may be impacting your gut health.
How to avoid sitting all day to improve gut health

Overall, prioritizing good posture and moving regularly throughout the day can significantly benefit your gut health. If you think that your digestive issues could be something more, you should always seek support and advice from a healthcare professional.

Did you know up to 78% of those suffering from IBS, also have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) (13). The OMED Health Breath Analyzer is the only device that can aid in the diagnosis of SIBO and intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO) right from the comfort of your home. It measures the levels of hydrogen and methane in your breath. These gases are produced by the gut microbiome, acting as key indicators of gut health.

With OMED Health, you can get the diagnosis and personalized treatment you need from our OMED Health doctors, helping you on your journey to better gut health.

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References

  1. Martin SE, Kraft CS, Ziegler TR, Millson EC, Rishishwar L, Martin GS. The Role of Diet on the Gut Microbiome, Mood and Happiness. medRxiv. 2023 Mar 21;2023.03.18.23287442. doi:10.1101/2023.03.18.23287442
  2. Spragge F, Bakkeren E, Jahn MT, B. N. Araujo E, Pearson CF, Wang X, et al. Microbiome diversity protects against pathogens by nutrient blocking. Science. 2023 Dec 15;382(6676):eadj3502. doi: 10.1126/science.adj3502 
  3. Lynch SV, Pedersen O. The Human Intestinal Microbiome in Health and Disease. N Engl J Med. 2016 Dec 15;375(24):2369–79. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1600266
  4. Pérez-Prieto I, Plaza-Florido A, Ubago-Guisado E, Ortega FB, Altmäe S. Physical activity, sedentary behavior and microbiome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2024 Nov 1;27(11):793–804. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2024.07.003
  5. O’Toole P w., Shiels P g. The role of the microbiota in sedentary lifestyle disorders and ageing: lessons from the animal kingdom. Journal of Internal Medicine. 2020;287(3):271–82. doi: 10.1111/joim.13021
  6. Kilpatrick M, Sanderson K, Blizzard L, Teale B, Venn A. Cross-sectional associations between sitting at work and psychological distress: Reducing sitting time may benefit mental health. Mental Health and Physical Activity. 2013 Jun 1;6(2):103–9. doi: 10.1016/j.mhpa.2013.06.004
  7. Biddle SJH, Henson J, Davies MJ, Khunti K, Sutton S, Yates T, et al. Device-assessed total and prolonged sitting time: associations with anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life in adults. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2021 May 15;287:107–14. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.037
  8. Dainese R, Serra J, Azpiroz F, Malagelada JR. Influence of body posture on intestinal transit of gas. Gut. 2003 Jul 1;52(7):971–4. doi: 10.1136/gut.52.7.971
  9. Shallaly GEHA, Malik EFM, Ali MA, Hamza MHM, Ibrahim BAB, Ahmed HEHM, et al. Is Prolonged Sitting a Risk Factor in Developing Hemorrhoids and Anal Fissures? Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences. 2023 Apr 5;18(1):63–70. https://doi.org/10.18502/sjms.v18i1.12866 
  10. Medical inx. INX Medical. 2017 [cited 2025 Mar 20]. The Connection Between IBS & Hemorrhoids. Available from: https://www.inxmedical.com/blog/connection-between-ibs-hemorrhoids/
  11. Sikirov D. Comparison of Straining During Defecation in Three Positions: Results and Implications for Human Health. Dig Dis Sci. 2003 Jul 1;48(7):1201–5. doi: 10.1023/A:1024180319005
  12. Tashiro D, Nakahara M, Kitajima E, Haraguchi K. The effects of a defecation posture, supported by the upper limbs, on respiratory function. Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2020;32(5):332–6. doi: 10.1589/jpts.32.332
  13. Ghoshal UC, Shukla R, Ghoshal U. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Bridge between Functional Organic Dichotomy. Gut Liver. 2017 Mar;11(2):196–208. doi: 10.5009/gnl16126
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