Original research
Effects of reduced sedentary time on cardiometabolic health in adults with metabolic syndrome: A three-month randomized controlled trial

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2022.04.002Get rights and content
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Abstract

Objectives

To investigate if reducing sedentary behavior improves cardiometabolic biomarkers in adults with metabolic syndrome.

Design

Randomized controlled trial.

Methods

Sixty-four sedentary middle-aged adults with metabolic syndrome were randomized into intervention (INT; n = 33) and control (CON; n = 31) groups. INT was guided to limit sedentary behavior by 1 h/day through increased standing and light-intensity physical activity. CON was instructed to maintain usual habits. Sedentary behavior, breaks in sedentary behavior, standing, and physical activity were measured with hip-worn accelerometers for three months. Fasting blood sampling and measurements of anthropometrics, body composition, and blood pressure were performed at baseline and at three months. Linear mixed models were used for statistical analyses.

Results

INT reduced sedentary behavior by 50 (95% CI: 24, 73) min/day by increasing light-intensity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (19 [8, 30] and 24 [14, 34] min/day, respectively). Standing increased also, but non-significantly (6 [−11, 23] min/day). CON maintained baseline activity levels. Significant intervention effects favoring INT occurred in fasting insulin (INT: 83.4 [68.7, 101.2] vs. CON: 102.0 [83.3, 125.0] pmol/l at three months), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR; 3.2 [2.6, 3.9] vs. 4.0 [3.2, 4.9]), HbA1c (37 [36, 38] vs. 38 [37, 39] mmol/mol), and liver enzyme alanine aminotransferase (28 [24, 33] vs. 33 [28, 38] U/l).

Conclusions

Reducing sedentary behavior by 50 min/day and increasing light-intensity and moderate-to-vigorous activity showed benefits in several cardiometabolic biomarkers in adults with metabolic syndrome. Replacing some of the daily sedentary behavior with light-intensity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity may help in cardiometabolic disease prevention in risk populations.

Abbreviations

ALT
alanine aminotransferase
APE
angle for postural estimation
AST
aspartate aminotransferase
BP
blood pressure
CON
control group
DBP
diastolic blood pressure
FFM
fat free mass
GGT
γ-glutamyltransferase
HOMA-IR
homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance
INT
intervention group
LPA
light-intensity physical activity
MAD
mean amplitude deviation
MET
metabolic equivalent
MetS
metabolic syndrome
MVPA
moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
PA
physical activity
SB
sedentary behavior
SBP
systolic blood pressure
WC
waist circumference

Keywords

Sedentary behavior
Physical activity
Cardiovascular risk factors
Metabolic syndrome

Cited by (0)

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03101228.