Breaking up sitting to improve blood sugar in people at risk for type 2 diabetes

Admin Supplement to "Breaking up sedentary behaviors to improve glucose control in a population at risk for developing type 2 diabetes"

NIH-funded research University of Colorado Denver · NIH-11186143

This compares short, frequent activity breaks during the day with one daily exercise session to find which approach helps blood sugar the most in adults with prediabetes.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Colorado Denver NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES)
Project IDNIH-11186143 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you join, you would be randomly assigned to either take many short activity breaks to interrupt sitting or to do one continuous daily bout of exercise with the same total activity time. The parent study started as a 4-week intervention and has been extended in some participants to 12 weeks with a 3-month follow-up. Staff collect blood sugar data (likely with glucose monitors and blood tests), activity patterns, and other health measures to understand how breaking up sitting affects glucose control. The supplement funds staff and data work to finish database cleaning and analysis so results can be shared sooner.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults with prediabetes or at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes who can safely perform light-to-moderate physical activity and attend study visits are the ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People with established type 2 diabetes, those who cannot do physical activity, or those already very active may be less likely to benefit from this specific intervention.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could offer an easier, practical way for people with prediabetes to improve blood sugar and lower diabetes risk by changing daily sitting and activity patterns.

How similar studies have performed: Short-term laboratory studies have shown that interrupting prolonged sitting can improve post-meal glucose, but longer real-world randomized trials like this are less common.

Where this research is happening

Aurora, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Adult-Onset Diabetes Mellitus
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.