Recently published research shows an association between standing and improved insulin sensitivity.
A study from Finland’s Turku PET Centre and UKK institute discovered the association. Researchers studied the link between insulin resistance and sedentary behavior, physical activity and fitness. Participants were inactive working-age adults who have a greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
The findings were published in the international peer-reviewed Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.
Insulin sensitivity is directly related to one of the most common chronic conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over 34 million Americans have diabetes. Of that, 90-95% have Type 2 diabetes. This condition occurs when cells lose their sensitivity to insulin, according to the National Institutes of Health. That leads to insulin resistance or a rise in blood glucose levels when the body does not react to insulin normally.
In the study, researchers saw that standing is linked to better insulin sensitivity independently of how much daily physical activity or sitting adults had. It was also independent of fitness level or being overweight.
Taru Garthwaite, a doctoral candidate at the University of Turku and one of the researchers, said in a news release the results encourage replacing some of the time spent sitting with standing each day. This is especially the case if individuals don’t meet physical activity recommendations. The American Heart Association recommends getting 150 minutes of weekly moderate-intensity aerobic activity.
The study showed that increased body fat percentage factored in more heavily with insulin sensitivity than physical activity, fitness or sitting duration. Standing was independently linked to insulin sensitivity regardless of body composition.
“Regular exercise is well known to be beneficial for health. It seems that physical activity, fitness and sedentary behavior are also connected to insulin metabolism, but indirectly, through their effect on body composition,” Garthwaite said.
While casual effects cannot yet be predicted, Garthwaite said increasing daily standing time could help prevent lifestyle diseases if individuals don’t meet recommendations for daily physical activity.
“Our aim is to study if reducing daily sitting time by an hour has an impact on energy metabolism and fat accumulation in liver and the whole body, for example, in addition to insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation,” Garthwaite said of the team’s next steps.
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