Sitting May Prompt Diabetes

An emerging factor for chronic disease, sedentary behavior – marked by an obvious lack of routine physical activity, may prompt the onset of type-2 diabetes among women. Thomas Yates, from the University of Leicester (United Kingdom), and colleagues assessed 585 men and women, ages 40 and over, for the amount of time they spend sitting during the course of the week. Additionally, the team collected blood samples to identify markers linked to diabetes and metabolic dysfunction. The researchers found that women who spent the longest time sitting have higher levels of insulin, as well as elevated levels of leptin (a chemical released by fatty tissue in the abdomen), and higher amounts of inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein and interleukin-6.  These correlations were not found in the male study subjects. Urging that women need to engage in 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity exercise a day, the study authors conclude that: " Total self-reported weekday sitting time was associated with biomarkers linked to chronic low-grade inflammation and poor metabolic health in women … independent of physical activity.”