Interrupting prolonged sitting in overweight, and obese adults and glycaemic responses: a randomised crossover study in free-living conditions

Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate 24 h interstitial glycaemia responses to interrupting prolonged sitting in free-living conditions in inactive and sedentary overweight and obese adults. Methods: Twelve overweight and obese individuals (mean ± SD age 47.5 ± 9.9 y) completed two, four-day conditions in a randomised crossover design; Uninterrupted sitting (SIT): 10 h/day sitting, 7 h/day uninterrupted bouts sitting (7 x 60 min bouts), standing and walking restricted to 1.5 h/day, or interrupting sitting (INT SIT): 3 – 6 min of standing, walking, simple body-weight resistance; half squats, lunges, calf raises, knee lifts, and repeated sit-to-stand transitions every 30 min for 10 h/day. Incremental area under the curve (iAUC) was calculated using the trapezoid method. Results: There were no significant differences observed for iAUC glucose measures between SIT and INT SIT conditions. There was no difference in sedentary behaviour between conditions, but daily stepping time and total steps increased significantly in INT SIT compared with SIT. Conclusion: In overweight and obese participants, it may not be possible to manipulate increases or decreases in sedentary behaviourin free-living conditions. Therefore, it was not possible to compare effects of interrupted sitting versus uninterrupted sitting on glycaemia.