Short Bouts of Office Activity Lower Diabetes Risk

HYDERABAD: Are you an employee struggling to find time for exercise? A few minutes of brisk walking multiple times during office hours, climbing stairs or repeatedly getting up from the desk and moving around could still help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study published in Diabetes Care suggests.

The study compared people who did no leisure-time exercise and remained largely inactive with those who accumulated short bursts of physical activity during the day. It should not be interpreted as suggesting that office-hour brisk walks are better than a regular morning walk or a structured exercise routine. For those who can combine regular exercise with movement breaks during the working day, the additional activity is likely to be more beneficial.

The study, titled Dose–Response Associations of Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity Micropatterns and Incident Type 2 Diabetes, analysed 22,706 UK Biobank participants who reported no leisure-time exercise and did not have diabetes at the beginning of the study. Participants were monitored using wrist-worn accelerometers and followed for an average of 7.9 years, during which 665 developed type 2 diabetes.

Researchers found that 3.9 minutes a day of vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) was associated with a 36 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with no such activity. About 25.3 minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity was associated with a 46 per cent lower risk.

Hyderabad neurologist Dr Sudhir Kumar said the findings were particularly relevant to people who could not spare an hour for exercise in the morning but could incorporate short bouts of activity during working hours.

“This study is useful for people who do not get time for an hour of exercise in the morning. Instead of sitting continuously during office hours, they can take these short bouts of activity. When you can do both, a morning one-hour walk or exercise and staying active during office hours, that is an additional advantage and would be more beneficial,” he said.

According to Dr Kumar, the study’s second group — people who do not have time for morning exercise but can undertake short, unstructured bouts of activity during the day — can also benefit. “The worst effect is on those who don’t do anything. If someone cannot manage a regular morning exercise routine, these exercise snacks during the day are still meaningful,” he said.

The activity need not involve a formal workout. Walking briskly between different sections of an office, climbing one or two flights of stairs several times a day or getting up from the desk and moving around can contribute to physical activity. Dr Kumar said people could take a two- to three-minute movement break every 40 to 45 minutes to avoid prolonged sitting.

“Most guidelines talk about 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity a week. For many people, that looks overwhelming. This study shows that shorter bouts of exercise can also make a difference in terms of diabetes risk,” he said.

Dr Kumar also stressed that exercise should not be viewed as a substitute for a healthy lifestyle or regular physical activity among those who can manage it. He said people with a genetic predisposition to diabetes should be particularly careful about the modifiable factors, including diet, physical activity and adequate rest.

“The genetic component cannot be changed, but whatever is modifiable is in our hands. That is where exercise plays a role,” he said.

He added that exercise does not eliminate the risk of diabetes but can reduce the risk of developing the disease. Therefore, people who have the time and ability to undertake a regular one-hour exercise routine should continue doing so, while also avoiding prolonged periods of sitting.