Reducing sedentary time mitigates the risk of typediabetes and
cardiovascular diseases

Date:
May 2, 2022
Source:
University of Turku
Summary:
A new study suggests that reducing daily sedentary time can have
a positive effect on the risk factors of lifestyle diseases in
only three months. Spending just one hour less sitting daily and
increasing light physical activity can help in the prevention of
these diseases.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new study suggests that reducing daily sedentary time can have a
positive effect on the risk factors of lifestyle diseases already in
three months.

Spending just one hour less sitting daily and increasing light physical activity can help in the prevention of these diseases.


==========================================================================
Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are the most common chronic diseases globally. The risk of developing these diseases is increased particularly by overweight caused by physical inactivity and unhealthy
diet, and metabolic disorders often associated with it.

Regular exercise is well known to be beneficial in weight management
and disease prevention. However, many adults do not meet the weekly recommendation of 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise, and the
majority of the day is typically spent sitting.

In an intervention study of the Turku PET Centre and the UKK Institute
in Finland, the researchers investigated whether health benefits can
be achieved by reducing daily sedentary time during a three-month
intervention period. The research participants were sedentary and
physically inactive working-age adults with an increased risk of type
2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

The researchers compared two groups: the intervention group was guided
to reduce their sitting time by one-hour per day through increasing
standing and light-intensity physical activity, and the control group
was instructed to maintain their usual habits and sedentary lifestyle.

"What makes our research design unique is that sedentary time and physical activity of both groups were measured with accelerometers throughout
the entire three-month period, whereas in earlier studies activity has typically been measured only for a few days at the beginning and end of
the study period. This makes it possible to receive more information on
the actual behaviour changes over a longer time period," says Doctoral Candidate Taru Garthwaite from the University of Turku in Finland.

The intervention group managed to reduce sedentary time by 50 minutes
per day on average, mainly by increasing the amount of light- and moderate-intensity physical activity. In the three-month period, the researchers observed benefits in health outcomes related to blood sugar regulation, insulin sensitivity and liver health in the intervention
group.

"It is an encouraging thought that health benefits can be achieved
by reducing the time spent sitting and increasing the amount of even light-intensity physical activity. For many, this may be an easier
starting point than increasing actual exercise," says Garthwaite.

Particularly beneficial for physically inactive individuals It is likely
that people who do not meet the weekly physical activity recommendations
will benefit the most from replacing sedentary time with light physical activity. However, reducing sedentary time is probably not enough in
itself to prevent diseases if the person has several risk factors of
diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

"Reducing the time spent sitting might still slow down the development of
these diseases, but greater benefits can of course be gained by increasing
the amount or intensity of physical activity in addition to sitting less," encourages Garthwaite.

The next step for the researchers is to study how changes in daily
activity and sedentary time affect energy metabolism and body composition
in addition to the risk factors of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
during a six-month study period.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Turku. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Taru Garthwaite, Tanja Sjo"ros, Saara Laine, Henri Va"ha"-Ypya",
Eliisa
Lo"yttyniemi, Harri Sieva"nen, Noora Houttu, Kirsi Laitinen, Kari
Kalliokoski, Tommi Vasankari, Juhani Knuuti, Ilkka Heinonen. Effects
of reduced sedentary time on cardiometabolic health in adults
with metabolic syndrome: A three-month randomized controlled
trial. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2022; DOI:
10.1016/j.jsams.2022.04.002 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220502094810.htm

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