Regular brisk walks throughout the work day has been found to lower levels of fatty acids which lead to clogged arteries.
A University of Otago study has found that taking brisk two-minute walks throughout the day combined with daily 30-minute walks reduced triglyceride (lipid) levels. High levels of triglycerides are linked to hardening of the arteries and other cardiovascular conditions.
Otago scientists have previously established that office workers taking brisk walks for two minutes every half hour lower their blood glucose and insulin levels helping prove increased sitting was associated with an increased risk of a cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
In the most recent study, led by Dr Meredith Peddie of Otago's Department of Human Nutrition and recently published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology, 36 participants trialled different work-place habits over two-day periods.
The participants trialled prolonged sitting, prolonged sitting with 30 minutes of continuous walking at the end of the day, sitting with two minutes of moderate intensity walking every 30 minutes and a combination of the 30-minute and of day walk and regular activity breaks.
The level of triglycerides in the blood were measured in each person over five hours on the second day of the experiment.
Peddie said the study found short walking breaks and 30-minutes of continuous activity both had the potential to improve people's metabolic health but the best results came from a combination of the two.
"We believe there is an important health message here - the traditional half-hour block of moderate to vigorous activity is important, but so is limiting long periods of sitting by undertaking regular short bouts of activity throughout the day," Peddie said.
"This approach, if maintained over months or years, may be enough to explain why individuals who regularly break up sedentary time have better cardio-metabolic health outcomes."