AHA: Cutting a Few Minutes of Sedentary Time Reduces Teens’ Risk for Insulin Resistance

Follow Drugslib on

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

Amazon Big Spring Sale - Up to 40% off

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on March 24, 2026.

via HealthDay

TUESDAY, March 24, 2026 -- Shifting even a few minutes from being sedentary to either sleep or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) reduces insulin resistance in teens, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health 2026 Scientific Sessions, held from March 17 to 20 in Boston.

Soren Harnois-Leblanc, Ph.D., R.D., from Harvard University in Boston, and colleagues used data from the ongoing Project Viva prebirth cohort (1999 to 2002) to analyze how the proportion of time spent in sleep, sedentary time, light physical activity (LPA), and MVPA in early adolescence was associated with glucose, insulin, and adiponectin in late adolescence. The analysis included 394 adolescents with both accelerometer and outcome data.

The researchers found on average in a 24-hour period, 33 percent of time was spent on sleep, 48 percent on sedentary activities, 17 percent on LPA, and 2 percent on MVPA. For those who allocated more time toward sleep or MVPA instead of sedentary time in early adolescence, lower Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was seen in late adolescence (median age, 17.5 years). For example, reallocating 30 minutes of sedentary time to MVPA or to sleep was associated with a 14.8 percent or 4.7 percent reduction in HOMA-IR, respectively. No significant change in HOMA-IR was seen for reallocating to LPA. There were no significant associations for 24-hour activity composition and either adiponectin or fasting glucose.

"Our findings mean that switching from sedentary behaviors to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity or sleep, even if it is only a few minutes per day to start, was beneficial for health," Harnois-Leblanc said in a statement.

Press Release

More Information

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2026-03-25 01:58

Read more

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Popular Keywords