Standing-based office work shows encouraging signs of attenuating post-prandial glycaemic excursion

Abstract

Objectives The main aim of this study was to compare two days of continuous monitored capillary blood glucose (CGM) responses to sitting and standing in normally desk-based workers. Design, setting and participants This open repeated-measures study took place in a real office environment, during normal working hours and subsequent CGM overnight measures in 10 participants aged 21-61 years (8 female). Main outcomes Postprandial (lunch) measures of: CGM, accelerometer movement counts (MC) heart rate, energy expenditure (EE) and overnight CGM following one afternoon of normal sitting work compared with one afternoon of the same work performed at a standing desk. Results Area-under-the-curve analysis revealed an attenuated blood glucose excursion by 43% (p=0.022) following 185 min of standing (143, 95% CI 5.09 to 281.46 mmol/L min) compared to sitting work (326; 95% CI 228 to 425 mmol/L min). Compared to sitting, EE during an afternoon of standing work was 174 kcals greater (0.83 kcals/min; p=0.028). The accelerometer MC showed no differences between the afternoons of seated versus standing work; reported differences were thus a function of the standing work and not from additional physical movements around the office. Conclusions This is the first known 'office-based' study to provide CGM measures that add some of the needed mechanistic information to the existing evidencebase on why avoiding sedentary behaviour at work could lead to a reduced risk of cardiometabolic diseases.