Breaking up sitting enhances neurocognitive function which is associated with improved postprandial glucose regulation in healthy adults: A randomized crossover study

Background and aims: The glucose-centric hypothesis postulates that glycemic control may influence cognition. While research has examined the effects of breaking up sitting on blood glucose and inhibitory control, few studies have integrated these data and employed event-related potential (ERP) measures to delve into the neuroelectric processes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of breaking up sitting on postprandial blood glucose response, inhibitory control, and P3 component.

Methods: Eighteen healthy male participants [25 ± 4 years, 23.5 ± 3.2 kg/m² (mean ± SD)] were subjected to 3.5 h uninterrupted sitting (SIT) or with 3 min walking at 6.4 km/h every 30 min (ACTIVE) trials in a randomized crossover design. The Stroop task was administered to assess inhibitory control before and after SIT and ACTIVE trials, and electroencephalography was employed to derive stimulus-elicited P3 component. Finger prick blood glucose levels were collected at baseline, 0.5 h, 1 h, and 3.5 h during the trials.

Results: While no significant differences were found in inhibitory control performances between trials, greater P3 amplitude was found in the ACTIVE trial relative to the SIT trial (p = .041). Lower postprandial blood glucose iAUC was found in ACTIVE trial compared to SIT trial (p = .028), and this was correlated with the elevation of P3 amplitude (r = - 0.521, p = .023).

Conclusion: Breaking up sitting acutely facilitates neuroelectric indices of attentional processing, which is associated with the optimal postprandial blood glucose control.