Sitting Around Increases Diabetes Risk In Women
Diabetes affects millions of people worldwide, both male and female alike. But it seems that the disease seems to affect both genders in different ways. A new study about the disease may provide some bit of proof on this. A new study has just showed that women who are prone to sitting for long period of time on a regular basis are at more risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But a similar link has not been seen in men.
Researchers coming from the University Of Leicester Departments of health and Sciences and Cardiovascular Sciences indicated that women who are usually sedentary for most of the day are more likely to develop early metabolic defects, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, as compared to women who are more active.
The researchers studied over 500 men and women ages 40 years old and above. The participants were assessed according to the amount of time that they spent sitting for a course of a week. During the same period, tests measuring the levels of certain chemicals in the bloodstream linked to diabetes and metabolic dysfunction were also conducted.
The study found that female participants who spent the longest time sitting had the higher insulin levels. Not only that, they also were known to have higher amounts of C-reactive protein and chemicals released by fatty tissue in the abdomen- leptin and interleukin6 both of which may signal problematic inflammation.
The short study indicated that longer periods of sitting times linked to the development of type 2 diabetes seems to be more strongly exhibited in women than in men. But the researchers can’t pinpoint the underlying reason yet behind the gender factor in the study results. The researchers suggested that women might snack more often when they are sitting down or that men tend to do more robust and physically demanding tasks when they are not sitting down.
Since it may be considered as a short study, further research may be needed into the effects of reduced sitting periods on more human volunteers. Results of the study have been published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Source: University of Leicester (2012, March 2). Diabetes risk from sitting around. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 7, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120302082913.htm
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