Sit-stand desks used to be considered a novelty. But with numerous headlines reporting the health risks of too much sitting and statistics suggesting that most office workers spend eight to 10 hours a day in a chair, sit-stand desks have quickly become standard office equipment. Designed to allow tasks to be performed from a status or sitting position, the marketing pitch for a sit-stand desk claims that it burns more calories (it takes more energy to stand vs. sit), leads to better work habits, improves blood circulation and shores up posture better than a traditional desk. Yet before experts could fully weigh in on whether status behind a desk was any better for health than sitting behind a desk, thousands of office workers traded in their traditional desk for a sit-stand version. At the same time that sales of sit-stand desks were booming, studies devoted to measuring the impact of replacing hours spent sitting with hours spent status were starting to yield results. Wading through 549 of the most relevant publications, a multidisciplinary team of American researchers recently reviewed the role of sit-stand desks in the following areas : mental and physical health, work performance, discomfort, behaviour and posture. The field was narrowed to 53 studies performed either in the workplace (21), laboratory (25) or in the field (7). The good news is that for the most part, individuals who work at a sit-stand desk stand more — between 30 minutes and three hours — than those who use a traditional desk. The not-so-good news is that the promised health benefits of status vs. sitting are likely overstated. The majority of studies noted no significant changes in blood pressure, cholesterol levels or other markers related to cardiovascular health among the sit-stand desk users. The only exceptions were a few studies using obese subjects, who realized small improvements in energy expenditure and glucose levels. As for whether status had a positive effect on fatigue, some study subjects reported feeling less tired at work, while others noted the opposite. There were also reports of swollen feet, a malaise common among people whose jobs require them to be on their feet all day. Studies determined that moving from one stationary position to another didn’t make much of a dent in the number of calories burned, a reminder that more than a change in office furniture is needed for weight loss or to boost daily activity levels. Some people found they were more productive while status and others found it easier to work while sitting. Also inconclusive was whether status or sitting improved mood while at work. The only clear positive gleaned from status is the claim by study subjects that after 12 weeks, low back pain had eased both at work at during other daily activities. All of this data reminds us that nothing replaces good old-fashioned exercise when it comes to improving health, burning calories and boosting mood and productivity at work. It’s also a reminder that you need to get out from behind your desk if you want to shake off the sedentary effects of office work. “In general, prolonged static postures, including both sitting and standing, are associated with poor health and increased injury risk and discomfort,” said the researchers. Does that mean that status while working is a waste of time? Not necessarily. But if you want to reap any physiological benefits from sit-stand desks, it’s likely that you need to use the raising and lowering feature on the desk to change your position often during the day. And while there’s no clear evidence as to how often you need to transition from one posture to the next, more movement is better than less, so set the timer on your phone or vow to change positions every time you change tasks. The bottom line is that strategies like taking the stairs over the elevator, choosing to walk down the hall to meet with your colleagues instead of sending an e-mail and going for a walk or a workout at lunch has more impact on your health than switching from sitting to status while at work. Break up time spent in front of a screen with time spent on the move. A sedentary lifestyle is worth changing at work and at home. So for every minute less you sit, make sure you replace it with a minute spent on the move — not just a minute spent standing.