Interrupting sedentary behavior with brief intervals of moderate exercise improved short-term metabolic function in nonoverweight children, reported Dr. Britni R. Belcher of the division of cancer control and population sciences at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., and her coauthors.
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In a randomized trial of 28 normal weight children aged 7-11 years, participants either sat continuously for 3 hours or were interrupted every 30 minutes for 3 minutes of moderate-intensity walking during the 3-hour sitting period. Children were given a buffet meal afterward.
Results showed that children who exercised had 32% lower insulin area under the curve (AUC) (P = .001), 17% lower C-peptide AUC (P = .001), and 7% lower glucose AUC (P = .018), compared with continuous sitting. Concentrations of insulin and free fatty acid also were significantly lower in the interrupted sitting condition, compared with the continuous sitting condition.
“If these effects can be demonstrated over longer time periods, the small increases in energy expenditure from interrupted sitting and improved metabolic responses may potentially lead to better energy balance and glucose homeostasis in healthy children,” Dr. Belcher and her colleagues said in the report.
Read the full article in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.