Sedentary lifestyle raises blood sugar

People who have a sedentary lifestyle are likely to have high levels of glucose in their blood, even though they may not be diabetic. Researchers from the International Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia, examined the association between television viewing and blood glucose levels. They measured blood sugar levels after fasting and after a glucose test-drink, in 3781 men and 4576 women. All the subjects were free of diabetes at the time. An interviewer assessed the participants' self-reported television viewing time in the previous week. After accounting for physical activity time and for factors that can affect blood glucose, the investigators found that the more time women spent watching television, the higher were their blood glucose levels two hours after they took the glucose test-drink. This effect was not seen in men. The findings reinforce the case for a strong focus in diabetes and obesity research on sedentary behaviour, such as television viewing, in addition to the now well-established base of evidence on the importance of increasing physical activity. It is possible that other sedentary behaviour may have an additive effect on risk, in that TV viewing may be a marker for a broader pattern of sedentary lifestyle.