Aug 29 (Mims): Sedentary behaviour appears to contribute to increased risk of diabetes, while having a long or a short sleep duration does not, according to a study.
The study included 3,355 participants (mean age 56.6 years, 57.6 percent women), all of whom completed a questionnaire to provide information about sleep and sedentary levels. Sleep was categorized into three: short (<7 h/day), adequate (7–9 h/day), and long (>9 h/day). Incident diabetes was defined according to fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), or any diagnostic criterion (FPG, HbA1c, or medical diagnosis).
Over a median follow-up of 9 years, a total of 136, 110, and 142 incident cases of diabetes as defined by FPG, HbA1c, or any criterion, respectively, were recorded. Compared with control participants, those who had incident diabetes tended to be more sedentary but had a generally similar sleep duration.
Multivariable regression analysis showed that sedentary behaviour was associated with a heightened risk of incident diabetes as defined by FPG (hazard ratio [HR], 1.61, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.11–2.35), HbA1c (HR, 1.40, 95 percent CI, 0.93–2.12), or any diagnostic criterion (HR, 1.39, 95 percent CI, 1.04–1.87).
No evidence of association was seen between sleep duration and incidence of diabetes.
The findings suggest that patients at risk of diabetes should be urged to exercise while allowed to sleep adequately.
