Mixed
Prolonged sedentary time is detrimentally associated with adverse cardio-metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers (waist circumference, HDL-cholesterol, C-reactive protein, triglycerides, insulin, HOMA-%B, and HOMA-%S) independent of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels.
If you sit for long periods, your metabolic health markers (like waist size, blood fats, and inflammation) tend to worsen, even if you exercise regularly. To mitigate this, try to interrupt long periods of sitting with brief breaks (standing or moving) throughout the day, as this is associated with better waist circumference and lower inflammation.
Independent of potential confounders, including moderate-to-vigorous exercise, detrimental linear associations (P for trends <0.05) of sedentary time with waist circumference, HDL-cholesterol, C-reactive protein, triglycerides, insulin, HOMA-%B, and HOMA-%S were observed.
Why this rating
Large, population-representative sample (n=4757) with objective accelerometer data, but cross-sectional design limits causal inference.
Source
Sedentary time and cardio-metabolic biomarkers in US adults: NHANES 2003–06
Geneviève N. Healy et al. · European Heart Journal · 2011
DOI 10.1093/eurheartj/ehq451
More from this paper
- Breaking up sedentary time with interruptions (breaks) is beneficially associated with lower waist circumference and lower C-reactive protein, independent of total sedentary time.Good
- The association between sedentary time and waist circumference varies by race/ethnicity, being detrimental in Non-Hispanic Whites, null in Mexican Americans, and beneficial in Non-Hispanic Blacks.Good
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