SynthesisObesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity2026
The Acute Effects of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting With Regular Activity Breaks on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of short-bout accumulated physical activity and sedentary-break interventions on continuous glucose monitoring metrics in adults with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Pooled it
- An Evening Activity Breaks Intervention for Improvement of Glucose, Blood Pressure, and Sleep: A Pilot Study in Free-Living Adults.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2026Article
- Exercise Snacks and Acute Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Metabolism: An Umbrella Review and De Novo Meta-Analysis.Metabolites · 2026Review
- Acute Effects of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting on Glucose, Insulin and Lipid Metabolism in Healthy Populations: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis.Metabolites · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRegular activity breaks improve postprandial glycemia, but the effects across different population groups and modes of breaks remain unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the impact of activity breaks on postprandial glucose and insulin response in adult populations.
methodsStudies were identified from five databases until October 9, 2024. Eligible studies were acute (< 24-h duration) laboratory-based randomized crossover trials comparing postprandial glucose and/or insulin response between prolonged sitting and activity breaks (< 10 min, ≥ 3 breaks over 3 h). Risk of bias was assessed using the Downs and Black quality assessment tool. Random-effects meta-analysis was conducted including subgroup analyses by activity mode, frequency, and participant health/weight status.
resultsOverall 53 studies met the eligibility criteria; 39 were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with prolonged sitting, activity breaks lowered postprandial glucose incremental area under the curve (iAUC) (SMD -0.30, 95% CI -0.43 to -0.13) and insulin iAUC (SMD -0.30, 95% CI -0.46 to -0.14). Walking breaks had the greatest effect on glucose iAUC (SMD -0.33, 95% CI -0.48 to -0.17) and insulin iAUC (SMD -0.44, 95% CI -0.62 to -0.27), compared with other modes. Interrupting sitting every 15-20 min produced the largest reductions in glucose (SMD -0.51, 95% CI -0.83 to -0.19) and insulin iAUC (SMD -0.41, 95% CI -0.77 to -0.06). The largest reduction in glucose iAUC was observed in those living with obesity (SMD -0.52, 95% CI -1.07 to 0.03).
conclusionFrequent short walking breaks, performed every 20 min, provide the most improvement in postprandial glucose and insulin response in adults.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.