Associations of 24 h time-use compositions of sitting, standing, physical activity and sleeping with optimal cardiometabolic risk and glycaemic control : The Maastricht Study

Aims/hypothesis
The associations of sitting, standing, physical activity and sleep with cardiometabolic health and glycaemic control markers are interrelated. We aimed to identify 24 h time-use compositions associated with optimal metabolic and glycaemic control and determine whether these varied by diabetes status.

Methods
Thigh-worn activPAL data from 2388 participants aged 40–75 years (48.7% female; mean age 60.1 [SD = 8.1] years; n=684 with type 2 diabetes) in The Maastricht Study were examined. Compositional isometric log ratios were generated from mean 24 h time use (sitting, standing, light-intensity physical activity [LPA], moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA] and sleeping) and regressed with outcomes of waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2 h plasma glucose, HbA1c, the Matsuda index expressed as z scores, and with a clustered cardiometabolic risk score. Overall analyses were adjusted for demographics, smoking, dietary intake and diabetes status, and interaction by diabetes status was examined separately. The estimated difference when substituting 30 min of one behaviour with another was determined with isotemporal substitution. To identify optimal time use, all combinations of 24 h compositions possible within the study footprint (1st–99th percentile of each behaviour) were investigated to determine those cross-sectionally associated with the most-optimal outcome (top 5%) for each outcome measure.

Results
Compositions lower in sitting time and with greater standing time, physical activity and sleeping had the most beneficial associations with outcomes. Associations were stronger in participants with type 2 diabetes (p<0.05 for interactions), with larger estimated benefits for waist circumference, FPG and HbA1c when sitting was replaced by LPA or MVPA in those with type 2 diabetes vs the overall sample. The mean (range) optimal compositions of 24 h time use, considering all outcomes, were 6 h (range 5 h 40 min–7 h 10 min) for sitting, 5 h 10 min (4 h 10 min–6 h 10 min) for standing, 2 h 10 min (2 h–2 h 20 min) for LPA, 2 h 10 min (1 h 40 min–2 h 20 min) for MVPA and 8 h 20 min (7 h 30 min–9 h) for sleeping.

Conclusions/interpretation
Shorter sitting time and more time spent standing, undergoing physical activity and sleeping are associated with preferable cardiometabolic health. The substitutions of behavioural time use were significantly stronger in their associations with glycaemic control in those with type 2 diabetes compared with those with normoglycaemic metabolism, especially when sitting time was balanced with greater physical activity.

© The Author(s) 2024.

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