HEALTH: Simply Standing Up From Desks Helps Avoid Diabetes

Research has revealed that interrupting sitting time with short bouts of light exercise can lower glucose and insulin levels by as much as 30 per cent, helping people avoid diabetes. The research was published online today in Diabetes Care, a publication of the American Diabetes Association. Associate Professor David Dunstan, from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, was the study’s lead researcher.

“What this study is showing is that people who sit for long periods, like office workers and call centre staff and drivers, could improve their health by simply breaking up their sitting time with frequent activity breaks,” Dunstan said. ”Inside this study we used breaks every 20 minutes, just for two-minute activity bouts, and showed that it was, it substantially improved the body’s response to a glucose challenge.”

Sixty per cent of Australians are either overweight or obese with the risk of developing diabetes. Professor Dunstan says people who work sitting at their desks should stand up at least every every 30 minutes. Read the full article »»»»