Slight activity can reduce risk of diabetes, says study
Posted on: 31/Jan/2017 9:47:37 AM
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Leicester said that people who spend time walking or even just standing instead of sitting down may be at lower risk of diabetes.
Speaking about the study, the researchers said, Findings from this study provide further encouraging evidence that simply substituting standing for sitting throughout the day may improve markers of type 2 diabetes. However, stronger associations were observed for stepping, thus highlighting the continued importance of more intense physical activity.
If participants in the study replaced prolonged sitting with standing, however, they had 5 percent drop in fasting insulin levels, and walking instead was associated with an 11 percent difference. We didn`t find an association between blood sugar or insulin levels when people swapped short periods of sitting for standing, however. Stepping instead of sitting for short periods was linked to a 7 percent drop in fasting insulin. The study wasn`t a controlled experiment and can`t prove how different activity levels directly influence the risk of diabetes.
Experts in the field have said, The results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that even small reductions in sedentary time may help lower the risk of diabetes. Breaking up prolonged sitting with walking or standing can improve how our body takes up blood glucose. This is why blood sugar seems to go higher if we engage in prolonged sitting versus more active behaviors after eating. If we are constantly exposed to high blood sugar over time, this can cause diabetes and cardiovascular diseases to develop.
Even though the results mirror other studies linking reduced sedentary time to a lower diabetes risk, the use of statistical models rather than a controlled experiment makes it hard to see what would happen if people cut back on sitting in real life. The people didn’t actually replace their sitting with physical activity, which is what would happen in an intervention. We need more actual interventions for us to better understand what is going on.
