Meta‐analysis of the relationship between breaks in sedentary behavior and cardiometabolic health

Abstract

Objective: The concept of "breaks" in sedentary behavior has emerged as a potential modifier of detrimental effects on adiposity caused by sedentary behavior. The existing research investigating the relationship between breaks in sedentary behavior with adiposity and cardiometabolic health in adults was systematically reviewed and quantitatively synthesized by this study. Methods: Observational and experimental studies that examined the relationships between the frequency of interruptions of sedentary behavior and markers of adiposity and cardiometabolic health in adults were identified by a systematic search of the literature. A meta-analysis was conducted by using the inverse variance method for experimental trials and a Bayesian posterior probability of existence of an association between breaks with adiposity and cardiometabolic markers for observational studies. Results: It was revealed by the pooled results from nine experimental studies that breaks in sedentary periods of at least light intensity may have a positive effect on glycemia but not on lipidemia for adults. It is unclear whether this effect is independent of total sitting time. However, the 10 identified observational studies showed an association with breaks, which was independent of total sedentary time, but only for obesity metrics. Conclusions: The theory that interrupting bouts of sedentary behavior with light-intensity activity might help control adiposity and postprandial glycemia was supported by the evidence. Further investigations with better methods of measuring sedentary behavior patterns and improved study designs are necessary to confirm this preliminary evidence.

Objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time in young adults born preterm—The ESTER study

“…25 The correlations between accelerometer-measured and self-reported physical activity tend to be low-tomoderate, in the present study 0.25 and in recent meta-analyses around 0.3-0.4 [25][26][27] . Indeed, both types of measurements have been reported to be associated with cardiometabolic and other health benefits 11,[28][29][30][31] , although associations with accelerometer-measured physical activity tend to be stronger. 31 These methodological differences may explain why VLBW adults report lower levels of conditioning leisure-time physical activity 3 and lower sports participation 2 despite this has not been detected with objective measurement in the same cohort 32 or in our present study including the full range of preterm birth.…”

Sitting behaviour is not associated with incident diabetes over 13 years: the Whitehall II cohort study

“…Sitting is a ubiquitous behaviour in today’s world and has been linked to broad outcomes such as all-cause mortality 2–4. A growing body of research has examined the cardiometabolic consequences of sitting in both population3 4 and laboratory5 settings. Data on sitting and risk for incident diabetes are scarce.…”

Sedentary Behavior Predicts Changes in Cardiometabolic Risk in Professional Workers

“…[48][49][50] For example, a recent metaanalysis revealed that breaking up prolonged sedentary period with light PA breaks helped to improve adiposity and postprandial glycemic measures in adults. 51 Research is needed to investigate how to promote and support nonexercise behavior at the workplace and in community settings. 35,45,52 The strengths of the study included the use of prospective study design, accelerometer-derived activity measures, and controlling for a wide variety of potential confounders that increased the internal and external validity of the study.…”