Interrupted Sitting in T1D
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Can Frequent Activity Breaks from Prolonged Sitting Improve Glucose Control and Vascular Health in People with Type 1 Diabetes?
IRAS ID
279434
Contact name
Matthew Campbell
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
Sitting for long periods of time is detrimental to our health. In people with diabetes, sitting for prolonged periods of time has shown to contribute to worsening blood sugar levels (blood glucose) and an increase in the risk of diabetes complications. As such, all individuals, including those with diabetes, are recommended to break-up the time they spend sitting, with regular, short, light-intensity ‘activity breaks’ such as walking. Research has shown that activity breaks can improve blood glucose levels and reduce risk factors for diabetes complications in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, there is currently no research investigating how activity breaks impact glucose control, nor whether benefits seen in people with T2D translate to people with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
People with T1D will be recruited from the Diabetes Centre in Leeds. The participants will attend the research laboratory at the School of Food Science and Nutrition, at the University of Leeds, on 2 different mornings, each lasting around 7-hours and separated by 7 days. On each visit, participants will be given two meals (breakfast and lunch). A needle-type device (cannula) will be placed in a vein in the arm of participants and kept in place for the duration of the visit. This will allow blood samples to be collected every 60-minutes which will be later analysed for markers of vascular health. Participants will wear a device to record movement/activity patterns and another device to measure glucose levels continuously. The information from these devices will be recorded for 48-hours before and after each visit to the laboratory. The study aims to answer two questions:
Does breaking-up prolonged sitting time with short frequent light-intensity bouts of walking improve:
1. Glucose levels over 48-hours in people with T1D?
2. Risk factors associated with diabetes complications in people with T1D?REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/LO/0650
Date of REC Opinion
15 May 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion