Breaking sitting with light activities vs structured exercise: a randomised crossover study demonstrating benefits for glycaemic control and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes.

Aims/hypothesis: We aimed to examine the effects of breaking sitting with standing and light-intensity walking vs an energy-matched bout of structured exercise on 24 h glucose levels and insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: In a randomised crossover study, 19 patients with type 2 diabetes (13 men/6 women, 63 ± 9 years old) who were not using insulin each followed three regimens under free-living conditions, each lasting 4 days: (1) Sitting: 4415 steps/day with 14 h sitting/day; (2) Exercise: 4823 steps/day with 1.1 h/day of sitting replaced by moderate- to vigorous-intensity cycling (at an intensity of 5.

Associations Between Bipedal Stance Stability and Locomotor Stability Following a Trip in Unilateral Vestibulopathy.

Posturography is used to assess balance in clinical settings, but its relationship to gait stability is unclear. We assessed if dynamic gait stability is associated with standing balance in 12 patients with unilateral vestibulopathy. Participants were unexpectedly tripped during treadmill walking and the change in the margin of stability (MoS) and base of support (BoS) relative to nonperturbed walking was calculated for the perturbed and first recovery steps.

Evaluation of a combined lifestyle intervention for overweight and obese patients in primary health care: a quasi-experimental design.

Background: Combined lifestyle interventions (CLIs) are designed to reduce risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases through increasing physical activity and improvement of dietary behaviour.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of a CLI for overweight and obese patients on lifestyle-related risk factors and health care consumption, in comparison to usual care.

Methods: Data on anthropometric and metabolic measurements, morbidity, drugs prescriptions and general practitioner (GP) consultations were extracted from electronic health records (timeframe: July 2009-August 2013).

Physical Activity Is Associated With Glucose Tolerance Independent of Microvascular Function: The Maastricht Study.

Context And Objective: Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and physical fitness (PF) are positively associated with glucose tolerance. Such associations may be partly conditioned by microvascular function, which is a common correlate to MVPA, PF, and glucose tolerance. To test this hypothesis, the present study sought to investigate independent associations of MVPA and PF with glucose tolerance and to what extent these associations are mediated by microvascular function.

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Metabolically Healthy versus Unhealthy Obese and Non-Obese Individuals - The Maastricht Study.

Background: Both obesity and the metabolic syndrome are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Although both frequently occur together in the same individual, obesity and the metabolic syndrome can also develop independently from each other. The (patho)physiology of "metabolically healthy obese" (i.

Identifying waking time in 24-h accelerometry data in adults using an automated algorithm.

As accelerometers are commonly used for 24-h measurements of daily activity, methods for separating waking from sleeping time are necessary for correct estimations of total daily activity levels accumulated during the waking period. Therefore, an algorithm to determine wake and bed times in 24-h accelerometry data was developed and the agreement of this algorithm with self-report was examined. One hundred seventy-seven participants (aged 40-75 years) of The Maastricht Study who completed a diary and who wore the activPAL3™ 24 h/day, on average 6 consecutive days were included.

Associations of total amount and patterns of sedentary behaviour with type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome: The Maastricht Study.

Aims/hypothesis: The study investigated cross-sectional associations of total amount and patterns of sedentary behaviour with glucose metabolism status and the metabolic syndrome.

Methods: We included 2,497 participants (mean age 60.0 ± 8.

Whole-Body Vibration as a Modality for the Rehabilitation of Peripheral Neuropathies: Implications for Cancer Survivors Suffering from Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy.

The objective was to study the effect of whole-body vibration (WBV) on strength, balance and pain in patients with peripheral neuropathies and to consider its significance for the rehabilitation of patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Using a broad search strategy, PubMed was searched for clinical trials on WBV interventions aimed at improving strength, balance or pain in patients with peripheral neuropathies, which were published in English until 5(th) June 2014. The search was performed by the first author and generated a total of 505 results, which yielded 5 articles that met the inclusion criteria, being studies: i) published in English; ii) involving adult human subjects' peripheral neuropathies; iii) evaluating the effect of WBV as a therapeutic intervention; and iv) reporting findings for at least one of the following outcomes: strength, balance or pain.

The effect of training during treatment with chemotherapy on muscle strength and endurance capacity: A systematic review.

Background Treatment of cancer with chemotherapy decreases endurance capacity and muscle strength. Training during chemotherapy might prevent this. There are no clear guidelines concerning which type of training and which training dose are effective.

The implementation and sustainability of a combined lifestyle intervention in primary care: mixed method process evaluation.

Background: The impact of physical inactivity and unhealthy diet on health is increasingly profound. Lifestyle interventions targeting both behaviors simultaneously might decrease the prevalence of overweight and comorbidities. The Dutch 'BeweegKuur' is a combined lifestyle intervention (CLI) in primary care, to improve physical activity and dietary behavior in overweight people.

Moderate activity and fitness, not sedentary time, are independently associated with cardio-metabolic risk in U.S. adults aged 18-49.

This cross-sectional study is one of the first to examine and compare the independent associations of objectively measured sedentary time, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and fitness with cardio-metabolic risk factors. We studied 543 men and women (aged 18-49 years) from the NHANES 2003-2004 survey. Sedentary time and MVPA were measured by accelerometry.

Deficient recovery response and adaptive feedback potential in dynamic gait stability in unilateral peripheral vestibular disorder patients.

Unilateral peripheral vestibular disorder (UPVD) causes deficient locomotor responses to novel environments due to a lack of accurate vestibular sensory information, increasing fall risk. This study aimed to examine recovery response (stability recovery actions) and adaptive feedback potential in dynamic stability of UPVD-patients and healthy control subjects during perturbed walking. 17 UPVD-patients (>6 months since onset) and 17 matched healthy control participants walked on a treadmill and were subjected to eight unexpected perturbations during the swing phase of the right leg.

The association between objectively measured physical activity and academic achievement in Dutch adolescents: findings from the GOALS study.

The main goal of this study was to investigate the association between objectively measured physical activity and academic achievement in adolescents. Students in Grades 7 and 9 (N = 255) were included. Overall, we found no significant dose-response association between physical activity and academic achievement.

A 20 min window is optimal in a non-wear algorithm for tri-axial thigh-worn accelerometry in overweight people.

A valid non-wear algorithm for activity monitors is crucial to avoid the misclassification of sedentary time as non-wear time, and vice versa. Characteristics of the algorithm, such as time windows, should be well defined and tested. Furthermore, using tri-axial data might influence the algorithm's performance.

Increased fracture risk in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: an overview of the underlying mechanisms and the usefulness of imaging modalities and fracture risk assessment tools.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus has recently been linked to an increased fracture risk. Since bone mass seems to be normal to elevated in patient with type 2 diabetes, the increased fracture risk is thought to be due to both an increased falling frequency and decreased bone quality. The increased falling frequency is mainly a result of complications of the disease such as a retinopathy and polyneuropathy.

Active commuting to school, cognitive performance, and academic achievement: an observational study in Dutch adolescents using accelerometers.

Background: The current study examined the associations between active commuting to school, cognitive performance, and academic achievement in Dutch adolescents. In addition, it was explored whether these associations were moderated by sex and mediated by depressive symptoms.

Methods: Students in grades 7 and 9 (N = 270; mean age 13.

Which activity monitor to use? Validity, reproducibility and user friendliness of three activity monitors.

Background: Health is associated with amount of daily physical activity. Recently, the identification of sedentary time as an independent factor, has gained interest. A valid and easy to use activity monitor is needed to objectively investigate the relationship between physical activity, sedentary time and health.

Characteristics of daily arm activities in patients with COPD.

Arm activities are required for maintenance of self-care and independent living. This study aimed to investigate whether and to what extent arm activities of daily living (ADL) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients differ compared to healthy controls and the extent to which they perform arm ADL at a relatively higher upper limb muscle effort. Daily arm and leg activities were assessed using accelerometers in the home environment (COPD: n=21, healthy: n=24; part 1).

Lower leg muscle strengthening does not redistribute plantar load in diabetic polyneuropathy: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Higher plantar pressures play an important role in the development of plantar foot ulceration in diabetic polyneuropathy and earlier studies suggest that higher pressures under the forefoot may be related to a decrease in lower leg muscle strength. Therefore, in this randomised controlled trial we evaluated whether lower-extremity strength training can reduce plantar pressures in diabetic polyneuropathy.

Methods: This study was embedded in an unblinded randomised controlled trial.

Strength training affects lower extremity gait kinematics, not kinetics, in people with diabetic polyneuropathy.

Increased forefoot loading in diabetic polyneuropathy plays an important role in the development of plantar foot ulcers and can originate from alterations in muscle strength, joint moments and gait pattern. The current study evaluated whether strength training can improve lower extremity joint moments and spatiotemporal gait characteristics in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy. An intervention group receiving strength training during 24 weeks and a control group receiving no intervention.

Increased forefoot loading is associated with an increased plantar flexion moment.

The aim of this study was to identify the cascade of effects leading from alterations in force generation around the ankle joint to increased plantar pressures under the forefoot. Gait analysis including plantar pressure measurement was performed at an individually preferred and a standardized, imposed gait velocity in diabetic subjects with polyneuropathy (n=94), without polyneuropathy (n=39) and healthy elderly (n=19). The plantar flexion moment at 40% of the stance phase was negatively correlated with the displacement rate of center of pressure (r=-.

Minimal intensity physical activity (standing and walking) of longer duration improves insulin action and plasma lipids more than shorter periods of moderate to vigorous exercise (cycling) in sedentary subjects when energy expenditure is comparable.

Background: Epidemiological studies suggest that excessive sitting time is associated with increased health risk, independent of the performance of exercise. We hypothesized that a daily bout of exercise cannot compensate the negative effects of inactivity during the rest of the day on insulin sensitivity and plasma lipids.

Methodology/principal Findings: Eighteen healthy subjects, age 21±2 year, BMI 22.

Interrupting long periods of sitting: good STUFF.

There is increasing evidence that sedentary behaviour is in itself a health risk, regardless of the daily amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Therefore, sedentary behaviour should be targeted as important health behaviour. It is known that even relatively small changes of health behaviour often require serious efforts from an individual and from people in their environment to become part of their lifestyle.

Dynamic stability control in younger and older adults during stair descent.

The purpose of this study was to examine dynamic stability control in older and younger adults while descending stairs. Thirteen older (aged 64-77 years) and 13 younger (aged 22-29 years) adults descended a staircase at their preferred speed. A motion capture system and three force plates were used to determine locomotion mechanics.

Differences in walking pattern during 6-min walk test between patients with COPD and healthy subjects.

Background: To date, detailed analyses of walking patterns using accelerometers during the 6-min walk test (6MWT) have not been performed in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Therefore, it remains unclear whether and to what extent COPD patients have an altered walking pattern during the 6MWT compared to healthy elderly subjects.

Methodology/principal Findings: 79 COPD patients and 24 healthy elderly subjects performed the 6MWT wearing an accelerometer attached to the trunk.