Benefits for Type 2 Diabetes of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting With Brief Bouts of Light Walking or Simple Resistance Activities.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Randomized crossover trial
PubMed 27208318 · doi:10.2337/dc15-2336
What was done
In a randomized crossover trial, 24 inactive overweight/obese adults with type 2 diabetes (14 men, mean age 62 ± 6 years) completed three separate 8-hour conditions with 6- to 14-day washout periods: uninterrupted sitting (control), sitting interrupted every 30 minutes with 3-minute bouts of light-intensity walking (3.2 km/h), and sitting interrupted every 30 minutes with 3-minute bouts of simple resistance activities (half-squats, calf raises, gluteal contractions, and knee raises). Standardized meals were provided during each condition, and incremental areas under the curve (iAUCs) for glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and triglycerides were compared.
What was found
Compared with uninterrupted sitting, both activity break conditions significantly attenuated iAUCs for glucose (sitting mean 24.2 mmol·h·L⁻¹ [95% CI 20.4–28.0] vs. walking 14.8 [11.0–18.6] and resistance 14.7 [10.9–18.5]; P < 0.001), insulin (sitting 3,293 pmol·h·L⁻¹ [2,887–3,700] vs. walking 2,104 [1,696–2,511] and resistance 2,066 [1,660–2,473]; P < 0.001), and C-peptide (sitting 15,641 pmol·h·L⁻¹ [14,353–16,929] vs. walking 11,504 [10,209–12,799] and resistance 11,012 [9,723–12,301]; P < 0.001). The iAUC for triglycerides was significantly reduced by simple resistance activities (2.9 mmol·h·L⁻¹ [1.7–4.1] vs. sitting 4.8 [3.6–6.0]; P < 0.001), but not by light walking (4.0 [2.8–5.1]).
Why it matters
Brief, frequent bouts of light walking or simple bodyweight resistance exercises provide a practical and potent alternative to structured exercise for reducing acute postprandial hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Limits
The study is limited by a small sample size (n = 24) and evaluated only acute 8-hour laboratory responses under tightly controlled conditions. Long-term adherence, real-world feasibility, and effects on chronic clinical outcomes (such as HbA1c or vascular complications) were not investigated.
Cited by
- supports Studies demonstrate that performing 5 to 10 squats every 5 minutes after eating significantly reduces postprandial glucose spikes.