Standing desks could help you lose weight

Office workers looking to lose weight may want to switch to a standing desk, according to results from a new study.

Substituting time spent sitting for standing for six hours a day could help people lose 2.5kg over the course of a year, researchers suggest.

The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, found that standing burned 0.15 kcal per minute more than sitting.

Standing at work not only burns more calories, the additional muscle activity is also linked to lower rates of heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, so the benefits of standing could go beyond weight control," said senior author Francisco Lopez-Jimenez from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

However, data was also needed on the long-term health implications of standing for extended periods, the researchers added.