Health improvements noticeable after just 4 days of more movement and less sitting

Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

12.12.2017

If overweight people with a sedentary lifestyle start to get more exercise - and we're not talking about sports, but simply light activities like walking and standing - the positive health effects are almost immediately measurable. Dutch scientists at the University of Maastricht noticed them within four days.

Study

The researchers conducted their experiment with 13 men and 11 women, aged between 40 and 80. The participants had a sedentary lifestyle and were on the larger side - their BMI varied between 25 and 35.

The researchers started by letting the participants lead their usual lifestyle for the first four days [Sit]. This was sitting most of the time.

On another occasion the researchers got the participants to walk and stand a lot for four days [SitLess].

Health improvements noticeable after just 4 days of more movement and less sitting

The researchers subjected the participants to a medical examination after each of the periods.

Results
After the four days of walking more and sitting less, the participants' insulin sensitivity had increased, their concentration of 'bad' cholesterol LDL had decreased, and that of 'good' cholesterol HDL had increased.

Health improvements noticeable after just 4 days of more movement and less sitting

In addition, the participants' diastolic blood pressure had decreased slightly after four days of more movement.

Health improvements noticeable after just 4 days of more movement and less sitting

Conclusion

"Our study suggests that substituting sitting with standing and self-perceived light walking is a very effective strategy to improve insulin sensitivity, circulating lipids, and diastolic blood pressure in sedentary overweight/obese subjects," wrote the researchers.

Health improvements noticeable after just 4 days of more movement and less sitting

"Particularly for overweight / obese individuals, these results may be important as strategies to reduce sitting time are generally considered less demanding than structured exercise programs."

Source:
Front Physiol. 2017 Jun 8;8:353. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00353. eCollection 2017.

More:
1998: walk a couple of kilometres a day and halve your chance of dying 13.10.2017
Just 15 minutes' walking per day extends life expectancy 14.05.2012
Physical exercise delays molecular aging by ten years 25.12.2008

Archives:
Insulin & Glucose Metabolism
Cardiovascular Health
Longevity



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