Researchers put accelerometers on 878 patients to see how much
they moved or didn't move, monitoring when they took breaks from
sitting down. They wore these devices on their hips for at least
seven consecutive days, during waking hours, the study said. The
study found that sedentary time was associated with worse
outcomes in "bad" HDL cholesterol, 2 h glucose and
triacylglycerol, which are all indicators of metabolic and
cardiovascular health. Perhaps surprisingly, time spent sitting
- not time spent exercising - was the factor most strongly
associated with health outcomes examined in the study. Why?
Henson said there may be a specific enzyme that responds
differently when people are sitting, compared to when they
exercise, but more research is needed. Data from the study
suggests that reducing time sitting by 90 minutes during the
course of the day significantly lowers the risk of diabetes,
Henson said. This was not a controlled study, meaning the study
authors did not deliberately prescribe a group a certa