Taking three minutes to walk around after every half-hour of sitting may help people with type 1 diabetes to manage their symptoms, according to new research.
Scientists from the University of Sunderland carried out a series of experiments on people with the disease and found that the simple exercise helped with managing blood sugar.
It also aided with lowering the risk of other factors that can come with the disease, such as strokes and heart attacks.
The Mirror reports that the findings - which are yet to be peer-reviewed - were presented at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference 2023 and involved 32 participants who were assessed over a two-week period.
Dr Matthew Campbell, principal investigator in cardiovascular and metabolic medicine at the University of Sunderland, said: "These results provide the first piece of evidence that simply breaking up prolonged periods of time sitting with light-intensity activity can increase the amount of time spent with blood sugar levels in the target range.
"Importantly, this strategy does not seem to increase the risk of potentially dangerous blood glucose lows which are a common occurrence with more traditional types of physical activity and exercise."
Type 1 diabetes happens when the body's immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, leading to high blood sugar levels. Around 400,000 people in the UK are living with the condition.
During the experiment, participants completed two seven-hour sitting sessions. In one they remained seated for the full seven hours while during the other session, sitting time was broken up with three-minute spells of light-intensity walking every half an hour.
Blood sugar levels were monitored during each session.
All participants were asked to stick to the same diet, levels of activity and insulin doses whilst they were taking part, and they were given a set breakfast and lunch.
Results showed taking regular walking breaks resulted in lower average blood sugar levels (6.9mmol/L) over 48 hours, compared with uninterrupted sitting (8.2mmol/L).
This increased time with blood sugar levels in the target range by 14 percentage points, the researchers said, and did not cause blood sugars to become dangerously low.
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK, which funded the study, said: "Breaking up sitting time with short bursts of activity offers a cost-free way to help people with type 1 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels and potentially reduce their risk of future complications.
"We look forward to further research to understand the long-term benefits of this approach."
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