African American Health Program

AAHP

Stand Up to Reduce Your Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

Recent research indicates that increasing time spent standing may help reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes in sedentary adults. A recent study using accelerometers (which measure mobility) to monitored 64 inactive patients aged 40 to 65 for an average of about 14.5 hours each day for four days. The research discovered that those who stood more often had improved insulin sensitivity. Impaired insulin sensitivity (insulin resistance) is frequently a precursor to type 2 diabetes regardless of the degree of obesity, sedentary behavior, physical activity, or fitness. The results show that “just increasing one’s standing time may be a viable strategy for improving insulin sensitivity in a sedentary high-risk group.”