Take Regular Breaks To Cut Health Risks Of Sitting


Still more evidence that extended bouts of sitting are bad for you: a new study suggests that overweight people who broke up intervals of sitting down with light exercise were far better off when it came to glucose and insulin levels.

Picture by Dave Matos

The study, published in Diabetes Care, compared glucose and insulin levels between three groups of overweights adults, each of him was asked to sit for five hours a day. One group took no exercise, one took regular treadmill breaks at light intensity, and one took regular treadmill breaks at moderate intensity. Both exercising groups sowed better blood glucose and insulin levels than the control group.

As lead researcher associate professor David Dunstan said in the release announcing the study:

This is the first time that we’ve been able to demonstrate in a clinical trial, that breaking up sitting time with frequent activity leads to better blood glucose and insulin responses – that is, the hazards of prolonged sitting can be minimised through having regular breaks. The findings are not confined to people who are overweight and suggest that even people who are not overweight could benefit from breaking up their sitting time

Wise advice. If you want to minimise your sitting time still further, check out our guide to ways to build a standing desk and the benefits of using one.


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