Active desks burned more energy but slowed typing and mouse work.

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   Sixteen studies, all but two in the US, tested 9 to 66 adults each. The adults were office workers, employees and graduate students, with average ages from about 21 to 51.

2. 02

   What they did

   Adults worked at a desk over a slow treadmill or a pedal bike. The other group sat at a regular desk, and the sessions lasted from a few minutes to a year.

3. 03

   What happened

   Energy use went up a lot across seven studies of 147 people. Typing and mouse work were slower in the pooled numbers, and the studies varied a lot. The review's claim that real work would barely change was not tested directly.

What the review found

1. Helped

   Across seven studies, walking or cycling at a desk used more energy than sitting.

   Pooled analysis of 7 studies with 147 people · vs sitting at a regular desk · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ results look too good to be true; the studies disagreed a lot; mixes trials with other kinds of study

2. Mixed

   Across the typing studies, people typed more slowly at active desks than when sitting.

   Pooled analysis of 5 studies · vs sitting at a regular desk · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ mixes trials with other kinds of study

3. Mixed

   In the mouse studies, people clicked more slowly at active desks than when sitting.

   Pooled analysis of 0 studies · vs sitting at a regular desk · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ results look too good to be true; mixes trials with other kinds of study

Source