Benefits for Type 2 Diabetes of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting With Brief Bouts of Light Walking or Simple Resistance Activities

• Published in: Diabetes care Vol. 39; no. 6; pp. 964 - 972
• Main Authors: Dempsey, Paddy C, Larsen, Robyn N, Sethi, Parneet, Sacre, Julian W, Straznicky, Nora E, Cohen, Neale D, Cerin, Ester, Lambert, Gavin W, Owen, Neville, Kingwell, Bronwyn A, Dunstan, David W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Diabetes Association 01-06-2016
• Subjects: Aged; Blood Glucose - metabolism; C-Peptide - metabolism; Cross-Over Studies; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - metabolism; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - therapy; Exercise Therapy - methods; Female; Glucose; Humans; Insulin - metabolism; Male; Middle Aged; Obesity; Obesity - complications; Obesity - metabolism; Obesity - therapy; Overweight - complications; Overweight - metabolism; Overweight - therapy; Peptides; Postprandial Period; Posture; Resistance Training; Risk assessment; Sedentary Behavior; Triglycerides - metabolism; Walking
• ISSN: 0149-5992; 1935-5548
• DOI: 10.2337/dc15-2336

To determine whether interrupting prolonged sitting with brief bouts of light-intensity walking (LW) or simple resistance activities (SRA) improves postprandial cardiometabolic risk markers in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D).
In a randomized crossover trial, 24 inactive overweight/obese adults with T2D (14 men 62 ± 6 years old) underwent the following 8-h conditions on three separate days (with 6-14 days washout): uninterrupted sitting (control) (SIT), sitting plus 3-min bouts of LW (3.2 km · h(-1)) every 30 min, and sitting plus 3-min bouts of SRA (half-squats, calf raises, gluteal contractions, and knee raises) every 30 min. Standardized meals were consumed during each condition. Incremental areas under the curve (iAUCs) for glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and triglycerides were compared between conditions.
Compared with SIT, both activity-break conditions significantly attenuated iAUCs for glucose (SIT mean 24.2 mmol · h · L(-1) [95% CI 20.4-28.0] vs. LW 14.8 [11.0-18.6] and SRA 14.7 [10.9-18.5]), insulin (SIT 3,293 pmol · h · L(-1) [2,887-3,700] vs. LW 2,104 [1,696-2,511] and SRA 2,066 [1,660-2,473]), and C-peptide (SIT 15,641 pmol · h · L(-1) [14,353-16,929] vs. LW 11,504 [10,209-12,799] and SRA 11,012 [9,723-12,301]) (all P < 0.001). The iAUC for triglycerides was significantly attenuated for SRA (P < 0.001) but not for LW (SIT 4.8 mmol · h · L(-1) [3.6-6.0] vs. LW 4.0 [2.8-5.1] and SRA 2.9 [1.7-4.1]).
Interrupting prolonged sitting with brief bouts of LW or SRA attenuates acute postprandial glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and triglyceride responses in adults with T2D. With poor adherence to structured exercise, this approach is potentially beneficial and practical.