Background: Sedentary behavior is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality.
Aim: To investigate whether the associations between sedentary behavior and cardiometabolic markers differs across physical activity levels.
Materials and methods: Cross sectional study of 314 participants aged 18 to 65 years. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were measured, and body fat was derived from the sum of four skinfolds. Physical activity was measured objectively using accelerometers (Actigraph GT1M, USA®). A fasting blood sample was obtained to measure glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, lipid profile and high sensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP). Those participants with an activity level > 600 MET.min-1.week-1 were classified as physically active.
Results: Thirty four percent of participants were physically inactive and spent an average of 8.7 h.day-1 in sedentary pursuits. Physically inactive individuals had poorer cardiometabolic health than their physically active counterparts. Per one hour decrease in overall sedentary behavior, there was a significant improvement in glucose (-8.46 and -4.68 mg.dl-1), insulin (-2.12 and -1.77 pmol.l-1), HOMA-IR (-0.81 and -0.56) BMI (-0.93 and -0.62 kg.m-2) and waist circumference (-2.32 and -1.65 cm) in physically active and inactive participants, respectively.
Conclusions: Being physically active may modify the detrimental effects of sedentary behavior on cardiometabolic and obesity-related traits.