Acute effects of a sit-stand workstation on blood glucose regulation in working women with impaired fasting glucose

Abstract

Our society has become increasingly sedentary, which has resulted in numerous health complications. For example, there has been an increase in blood sugar regulation abnormalities, which can lead to pre-diabetes and eventually type 2 diabetes. This dissertation focuses on working women whom, upon initial screening, demonstrated a fasting blood sugar greater than 100 mg/dl. The participants completed two separate trials; 1) sitting and standing while completing an oral glucose tolerance test at work; and 2) sitting for one week followed by standing for one week at work while wearing a continuous glucose monitor and an accelerometer. The first Manuscript (Chapter 4) summarizes a randomized, cross-over pilot study evaluating the acute effect of standing at work on postprandial glucose. Results indicated a trend towards an improved postprandial glucose response during standing (Glucose iAUC = -124.9 ± 481.7, 95% CI [-386.7, 137]) relative to sitting. Manuscript II (Chapter 5) summarized a repeated measures pilot study examining the effect of standing in the workplace on blood glucose regulation over a one week period among women with impaired fasting glucose. Sedentary time significantly predicted blood glucose independent of physical acitivity (p = .015). Manuscript III (Chapter 6), also a repeated measures study, is a brief report examining the effect of a sit-stand desk on sedentary time during the work day among pre-diabetic adults. A nonsignificant reduction in sedentary time was found in the life, health, and combined life and health zones in the sit-stand condition relative to the sitting condition (life: 1.37 ± 2.77; 95% CI [-0.35, 3.08]; health: 0.55 ± 1.56; [-0.42, 1.52]; life and health: 1.92 ± 3.44; [-0.21, 4.05]; zone intensities are life < 2 mph, health 2-4.5 mph, and sport > 4.5 mph). Additional research should recruit larger sample sizes and examine the long-term effect of reducing sedentary time on blood glucose among working adults with impaired fasting glucose.