Time spent taking part in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) improves indicators of insulin resistance independently of time spent sedentary, taking part in light-intensity activity, and TV viewing, report researchers in the journal Diabetes Care.

Low levels of physical activity are associated with insulin resistance, which is an independent predictor for Type 2 diabetes even in people with normal glucose levels.

Ulf Ekelund (University of Cambridge, UK) and colleagues examined whether time spent sedentary, at light-intensity activity, at MVPA, and TV viewing predict future insulin resistance in people at high risk for Type 2 diabetes.

This information is important as while existing guidelines on physical activity emphasize the importance of MVPA, they do not consider the potential harmful effects of sedentary living.

The researchers measured physical activity and anthropometric and metabolic variables at baseline and after 1 year of follow-up in 192 individuals with a family history of Type 2 diabetes taking part in the ProActive UK trial.

As it is difficult to accurately capture light-intensity activity or total sedentary behavior by questionnaire, physical activity was measured objectively by accelerometry. Insulin resistance was expressed as fasting insulin and the homeostasis model assessment score (HOMA-IR).

The authors report that baseline MVPA was a significant predictor of fasting insulin at follow-up and that the association approached significance for HOMA-IR, independently of time spent sedentary or involved in light-intensity activity, gender, age, smoking status, waist circumference, and self-reported TV viewing.

Time spent sedentary and at light-intensity activity were not significantly associated with insulin resistance.

The authors also found that change in MVPA was significantly and inversely related to the change in fasting insulin and the HOMA score after adjustment for baseline characteristics, TV viewing, and follow-up time.

In addition, an increase in MVPA over 1 year was associated with improved insulin sensitivity.

“These results highlight the importance of promoting moderate-intensity activity such as brisk walking to improve insulin sensitivity and other metabolic risk factors and to prevent Type 2 diabetes, at least in individuals with a high risk of developing this disease,” conclude the authors.

MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news service provided by Current Medicine Group, a part of Springer Science+Business Media. © Current Medicine Group Ltd; 2009

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