Even Short-Term Sedentary Behavior Raises Risk of Chronic Disease
Two weeks of decreased physical activity was associated with an increased risk for chronic metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, according to the findings of a new study presented at the 2017 European Congress on Obesity.
A total of 28 healthy and physically active individuals participated in the study (mean age 25 years, and mean BMI 25 kg/m2). Participants were expected to reduce their activity levels by 80%, from an average of 10,000 steps per day to 1500 steps per day, while maintaining the same dietary intake they had before the trial. A SenseWear armband was used to track physical activity levels, and a dietary journal was used to track food consumption. In addition, comprehensive health checks were performed at baseline and after the 14-day study period that included measurements for fat and muscle mass, mitochondrial function, and physical fitness.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
RELATED CONTENT
Study: Sedentary Time Linked to Increased Waist Circumference and CHD Risk
Study: Physical Activity Benefits May Outweigh Effects of Obesity on CVD Risk
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Moderate-to-vigorous activity was reduced from an average of 161 minutes to 31 minutes, and daily sedentary time increased to an average of 129 minutes.
The researchers found significant changes to body composition, including loss of skeletal muscle mass and increases in total body fat, which occurred mostly in the abdomen.
After 14 days of inactivity, cardiorespiratory fitness declined significantly in participants from baseline.
Likewise, skeletal muscle mass, specifically total lean mass and leg lean mass, showed significant loss by the end of the study period. Mitochondrial function was found to decline as well, but was not statistically significant.
—Melissa Weiss
Reference:
Bowden Davies KA, Sprung VS, Norman JA, et al. H Short-term increased sedentary behaviour leads to loss of muscle mass in young individuals. Presented at: 24th European Congress on Obesity; May 17-20, 2017; Porto, Portugal.