Research

Mixed

Breaking up sedentary time with short breaks (e.g., standing or walking) is beneficially associated with metabolic biomarkers independent of total sedentary time and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Don't just focus on reducing your total sitting time; focus on breaking it up. Stand up, stretch, or walk for a minute every 30-60 minutes. This improves metabolic health markers like blood sugar and triglycerides regardless of how much you exercise.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
breaks in sedentary time... were shown to have beneficial associations with metabolic biomarkers... A higher number of breaks in sedentary time were beneficially associated with waist circumference, body mass index, triglycerides, and 2-hour plasma glucose
David W. Dunstan et al. · Circulation · 2010

Why this rating

Based on a specific study of 169 Australian adults using accelerometers, showing independent associations with multiple biomarkers.

Source

Television Viewing Time and Mortality

David W. Dunstan et al. · Circulation · 2010

DOI 10.1161/circulationaha.109.894824

narrative_reviewCited 833×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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