OBJECTIVE: To determine whether interrupting prolonged sitting with brief bouts of light-intensity walking (LW) or simple resistance activities (SRA) improves postprandial cardiometabolic risk markers in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a randomized crossover trial, 24 inactive overweight/obese adults with T2D (14 men 62 +/- 6 years old) underwent the following 8-h conditions on three separate days (with 6 to 14 days washout): uninterrupted sitting (control) (SIT), sitting plus 3-min bouts of LW (3.2 km/h) every 30 min, and sitting plus 3-min bouts of SRA (half-squats, calf raises, gluteal contractions, and knee raises) every 30 min. Standardized meals were consumed during each condition. Incremental areas under the curve (iAUCs) for glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and triglycerides were compared between conditions. RESULTS: Compared with SIT, both activity-break conditions significantly attenuated iAUCs for glucose (SIT mean 24.2 mmol/h/L (95% CI 20.4 to 28.0) versus LW 14.8 (11.0 to 18.6) and SRA 14.7 (10.9 to 18.5)), insulin (SIT 3,293 pmol/h/L (2,887 to 3,700) versus LW 2,104 (1,696 to 2,511) and SRA 2,066 (1,660 to 2,473)), and C-peptide (SIT 15,641 pmol/h/L (14,353 to 16,929) versus LW 11,504 (10,209 to 12,799) and SRA 11,012 (9,723 to 12,301)) (all p < 0.001). The iAUC for triglycerides was significantly attenuated for SRA (p < 0.001) but not for LW (SIT 4.8 mmol/h/L (3.6 to 6.0) versus LW 4.0 (2.8 to 5.1) and SRA 2.9 (1.7 to 4.1)). CONCLUSIONS: Interrupting prolonged sitting with brief bouts of LW or SRA attenuates acute postprandial glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and triglyceride responses in adults with T2D. With poor adherence to structured exercise, this approach is potentially beneficial and practical.
Copyright American Diabetes Association. Reprinted with permission from The American Diabetes Association.

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