A number of studies have suggested sitting for long periods is as dangerous as smoking, with research linking it to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Now there’s new evidence sitting for extended hours can also increase the risk of liver disease.

The study, by researchers at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in South Korea, found people who sit for 10 or more hours daily have a 9 percent greater risk of developing a condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) than those who spend less than five hours a day sitting, Live Science reports.

The findings, published in the Journal of Hepatology, also found those who were physically active were 20 percent less likely to develop the disease.

"The amount of time spent doing sedentary activity such as sitting at a computer or watching TV has increased dramatically in recent years," said Seungho Ryu, M.D., professor of occupational and environmental medicine and lead author of the study. "More than half of the average person's waking day involves sedentary activities."

In the study, the researchers tracked more than 139,000 Korean men and women who reported their levels of physical activity and sitting time. NAFLD was confirmed using ultrasounds.
The study suggests even engaging in light activity instead of sitting may help reduce the risk of NAFLD, Ryu added.

"Our body is designed to move, and it is not surprising that sedentary behavior, characterized by low muscle activity, has a direct impact on physiology," Michael Trenell, a professor of metabolism and lifestyle medicine at Newcastle University in England, wrote in an editorial that accompanied the study in the journal.

About 19 percent of Americans have NALFD, according to a 2013 study in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The condition can lead to swelling and scarring of the liver, according to the American Liver Foundation.