Scientists at Karolinska University have proposed a simple and very affordable way to improve your metabolism and maintain health for those who spend days on end at the computer. It will take less than half an hour a day.
The authors of the new study write that every hour spent lying or sitting increases the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. In turn, these conditions can eventually lead to coronary heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.
It is well known that exercise can prevent these pathologies. In their work, the scientists sought to emphasize that a level of physical activity that can slightly improve metabolism is available to everyone.
For three weeks, scientists observed 16 volunteers who were obese, led a sedentary lifestyle, or were engaged in sedentary work. They were divided into two groups, one of which had to maintain regular physical activity. Every day for 10 hours, every half hour the fitness tracker signaled «active» participants, after which they were required to take a three-minute break for low- or moderate-intensity exercise. For example, for walking or climbing stairs.
At the beginning and end of the experiment, the scientists took blood samples from the participants for testing and also performed a glucose tolerance test. In addition, volunteers had their blood glucose levels measured regularly throughout the study.
Volunteers who took short exercise breaks had lower blood sugar and “bad” cholesterol levels compared to those who did not. In addition, the physical activity group had fewer swings in blood glucose, which may indicate improved blood flow. These are important markers of metabolism and heart health.
However, scientists found that “exercise minutes” did not improve indicators of long-term improvement in metabolism — glucose tolerance or the amount of fat in the muscles. According to the study authors, it is likely that such physical activity is not enough to change these indicators.
“The more exercise breaks you take while working, the more benefits you will get.” «, said the authors of the study.