Last year the NHS described inactivity as being "twice as deadly as obesity," and that sitting down all day at work was a major problem.
Many people who work in offices hoped one solution was standing desks, but new research has suggested they make no discernible difference.
"Although sit-stand desks are popular, their potential health benefits are very uncertain," a report from health researchers Cochrane states.
The group reviewed 20 studies totalling 2,174 participants from the US and Europe, and criticised standing desks for being "poorly designed."
The main problem, however, was that people who use standing desks only sat "between 30 minutes and two hours less," which had a negligible impact on health.
The researchers found very low-quality evidence from three non-randomised studies and low-quality evidence from three randomised studies, with 218 participants, that people who used sit-stand desks sat between 30 minutes and two hours less, compared to when they used conventional desks during the working day.
It also noted that "other interventions aimed at reducing inactivity, such as taking a walk during breaks, didn't change the length of sitting time at work."
Nipun Shrestha, who led the study, concluded the jury was still out on standing desks: "There is uncertainty over how big an impact sit-stand desks can make on reducing the time spent sitting at work in the short term."
But the report's coauthor, Jos Veerbek, was more direct, adding that "standing instead of sitting hardly increases energy expenditure, so we should not expect a sit-stand desk to help in losing weight. It's important that workers and employers are aware of this, so that they can make more informed decisions."