Walking breaks during sitting ‘can improve children’s blood sugar levels’

Children could benefit from taking short walking breaks in the middle of a period of otherwise sedentary behaviour, according to a new study.

Led by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the research saw 28 normal-weight children sit continuously for three hours, or take three-minute breaks to walk on a treadmill every half-hour during that period.

When children took breaks to walk, their blood sugar and insulin levels were shown to be lower than when they sat continuously, indicating their bodies were better able to maintain blood sugar levels when their sitting was interrupted.

Study author Dr Jack Yanovski, of the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said: "While we know getting 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity exercise each day improves children's health and metabolism, small behavioural changes like taking short walking breaks can also yield some benefits."

This is an important discovery, as sustained sedentary behaviour after a meal can reduce the muscles' ability to clear sugar from the bloodstream.

In turn, this results in the production of more insulin, which may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes being developed.