Staying physically active might reduce the effects of sedentary behaviors, new research shows.
Researchers at the American Cancer Society, The Cooper Institute and the University of Texas examined whether being physically fit could prevent or prolong the adverse side effects of sedentary behaviors.
For the study, researchers assessed 1,302 men who had received care from the Cooper Clinic located in Dallas, Texas, between 1981 and 2012. The team analysed information about participants' sedentary behaviors, level of physical activity, overall fitness, obesity and metabolic biomarkers.
Findings showed physically inactive people were less active had higher levels of systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and triglycerides. Moreover, they were also reported to have lower levels of "good" cholesterol, scientifically known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
The results for physically active people showed their sedentary behaviors were linked to a higher ratio of triglycerides/HDL cholesterol, which is an indicator of insulin resistance. However, the active lifestyle people, sedentary behavior was not associated with metabolic syndrome – a group of factors that increases risk of several diseases in people. Active people also had lower levels of adiposity and metabolic measures.
"The association between prolonged sedentary time and obesity and blood markers associated with cardiovascular disease is markedly less pronounced when taking fitness into account," researchers wrote.
"Although our findings suggest the need to encourage achieving higher levels of fitness through meeting physical activity guidelines to decrease metabolic risk...the effects of reducing sedentary time on cardiometabolic risk biomarkers warrant further longitudinal exploration using objective measurement," said researchers.
The study, 'Sedentary Behavior, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Physical Activity, and Cardiometabolic Risk in Men: The Cooper Center Longitudinal Study,' was published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
