Simply standing could lower your blood sugar, researchers say

A group of U.S. researchers have just found out that even a brief standing every day could significantly lower one's blood sugar level and cut the risk of getting a heart attack or developing diabetes.

Researchers at the Arizona State University (ASU) conducted a four-week study on nine overweight or obese people who ordinarily sit for nearly eight hours during weekdays, requiring them to stand, then walk, and eventually do some cycling -- all in mild paces -- for a total of 2.5 hours everyday.

The result showed that the testers' average 24-hour glucose was decreasing progressively during the period, and was lowest on the cycling days, the researchers said in a report published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, a monthly journal.

"We found that the overall reduction in blood sugar throughout the 24-hour day was typically 5 percent to 12 percent, with the greatest effect being in cycling," senior author of the study Glenn Gaesser told the Reuters.

"A number of (studies) indicate sitting is a health hazard", Gaesser said, "Anything you can do to bring down glucose readings throughout the day is a good thing."