Sitting down right now? You might want to read this health warning

Diabetes affects over 1 million Australians, and now new research has linked sitting, slumping and other sedentary activities to this chronic disease.

According to Dutch researchers, every hour you spend slumped in front of the TV or computer increases your chances of developing Type 2 Diabetes by a whopping 22%.

Researchers from Maastricht University examined the activity levels of 2,500 adults. Apart from being at greater risk of diabetes, the people who were less active were also 40% more likely to develop metabolic problems.

“Our findings could have important implications for public health as they suggest that sedentary behaviour may play a significant role in the development and prevention of type 2 diabetes”, researchers said.

“Consideration should be given to including strategies to reduce the amount of sedentary time in diabetes prevention programmes”.

Indeed, breaking up the time you spend being sedentary may help lower your risk of diabetes. There are simple ways to do this, such as talking a walk rather than staying on your couch.

Alternatively, if you’re doing lots of work on the computer, remember to take regular breaks and perhaps even do some gentle stretches.

Will you try to become less sedentary, based on this research? Are you suffering with diabetes, or is somebody you know affected? How do you stay active in your 60s?