Breaking Up Prolonged Sitting With Standing or Walking Attenuates the Postprandial Metabolic Response in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Acute Study.
Study Goal
To determine whether breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of standing or walking improves postprandial markers of cardiometabolic health in women at high risk of type 2 diabetes.
Results Summary
Both standing and walking significantly reduced postprandial glucose, insulin, and NEFA responses compared to prolonged sitting, with effects on glucose (standing and walking) and insulin (walking only) persisting into the following day. No significant effect was observed on triglyceride levels.
Population
Overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women (mean age 66.6 ± 4.7 years).
Effective Dosage
5-minute bouts of walking at a self-perceived light intensity every 30 minutes.
Duration
7.5-hour sitting protocol with intermittent walking.
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of standing | decrease | glucose iAUC | overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes | 3.5 ± 0.8 mmol/L ⋅ h (vs 5.3 ± 0.8 mmol/L ⋅ h for prolonged sitting) | significantly reduced | #1 |
breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of walking | decrease | glucose iAUC | overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes | 3.8 ± 0.7 mmol/L ⋅ h (vs 5.3 ± 0.8 mmol/L ⋅ h for prolonged sitting) | significantly reduced | #2 |
breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of standing | decrease | insulin iAUC | overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes | 437.2 ± 73.5 mU/L ⋅ h (vs 548.2 ± 71.8 mU/L ⋅ h for prolonged sitting) | reduced | #3 |
breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of walking | decrease | insulin iAUC | overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes | 347.9 ± 78.7 mU/L ⋅ h (vs 548.2 ± 71.8 mU/L ⋅ h for prolonged sitting) | reduced | #4 |
breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of standing | increase | NEFA iAUC | overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes | -1.0 ± 0.2 mmol/L ⋅ h (vs -1.5 ± 0.2 mmol/L ⋅ h for prolonged sitting) | attenuated the suppression of | #5 |
breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of walking | increase | NEFA iAUC | overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes | -0.8 ± 0.2 mmol/L ⋅ h (vs -1.5 ± 0.2 mmol/L ⋅ h for prolonged sitting) | attenuated the suppression of | #6 |
breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of standing or walking | no change | triglyceride iAUC | overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes | no significant change | no significant effect on | #7 |
breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of standing | decrease | glucose response | overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes | - | persisted into the following day | #8 |
breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of walking | decrease | glucose response | overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes | - | persisted into the following day | #9 |
breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of walking | decrease | insulin response | overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes | - | persisted into the following day | #10 |
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of standing or walking improves postprandial markers of cardiometabolic health in women at high risk of type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty-two overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women (mean ± SD age 66.6 ± 4.7 years) each participated in two of the following treatments: prolonged, unbroken sitting (7.5 h) or prolonged sitting broken up with either standing or walking at a self-perceived light intensity (for 5 min every 30 min). Both allocation and treatment order were randomized. The incremental area under the curves (iAUCs) for glucose, insulin, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), and triglycerides were calculated for each treatment condition (mean ± SEM). The following day, all participants underwent the 7.5-h sitting protocol. RESULTS: Compared with a prolonged bout of sitting (iAUC 5.3 ± 0.8 mmol/L ⋅ h), both standing (3.5 ± 0.8 mmol/L ⋅ h) and walking (3.8 ± 0.7 mmol/L ⋅ h) significantly reduced the glucose iAUC (both P < 0.05). When compared with prolonged sitting (548.2 ± 71.8 mU/L ⋅ h), insulin was also reduced for both activity conditions (standing, 437.2 ± 73.5 mU/L ⋅ h; walking, 347.9 ± 78.7 mU/L ⋅ h; both P < 0.05). Both standing (-1.0 ± 0.2 mmol/L ⋅ h) and walking (-0.8 ± 0.2 mmol/L ⋅ h) attenuated the suppression of NEFA compared with prolonged sitting (-1.5 ± 0.2 mmol/L ⋅ h) (both P < 0.05). There was no significant effect on triglyceride iAUC. The effects on glucose (standing and walking) and insulin (walking only) persisted into the following day. CONCLUSIONS: Breaking up prolonged sitting with 5-min bouts of standing or walking at a self-perceived light intensity reduced postprandial glucose, insulin, and NEFA responses in women at high risk of type 2 diabetes. This simple, behavioral approach could inform future public health interventions aimed at improving the metabolic profile of postmenopausal, dysglycemic women.