A growing body of evidence suggests that interrupting prolonged sitting with intermittent brief periods of standing or light exercise can improve glucose metabolism.Researchers provide additional evidence in this study of 22 overweight postmenopausal women with prediabetes.

Twenty-two overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women (mean ± SD age 66.6 ± 4.7 years) each participated in two of the following treatments: prolonged, unbroken sitting (7.5 h) or prolonged sitting broken up with either standing or walking at a self-perceived light intensity (for 5 min every 30 min). At each session, participants ate a standardized breakfast and lunch, and blood was sampled frequently postprandially.

Mean incremental 3-hour postprandial glucose area under the curve (a measure of glycemic excursion after a meal) was reduced by 34% when sitting was interrupted by standing and by 28% when sitting was interrupted by walking, compared with the same measurement after continuous sitting. The difference between standing and walking was not significant.

Breaking up prolonged sitting with 5-min bouts of standing or walking at a self-perceived light intensity reduced postprandial glucose, insulin, and NEFA (nonesterified fatty acids) responses in women at high risk of type 2 diabetes.

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