U.S. Hispanics/Latinos who are frequently inactive face increased risk of diabetes and heart disease, even if they exercise regularly, according to recently published research.

Qibin Qi, PhD, lead author and assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, published research on September 28 in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation. The research confirmed long-standing thoughts about sedentary behaviors and its association with unfavorable levels of cardiometabolic risk factors in U.S. Hispanic/Latino adults, regardless of physical activity.

Between 2008 and 2011, researchers gathered information from more than 12,000 participants aged 18 to 74 years from Latinos who lived in Chicago, Miami, San Diego and the Bronx, New York. Through surveys, interviews and assessments (including a blood draw) they learned facts about health statuses and behaviors of participants. The participants were tasked to wear accelerometers, and their sedentary time was measured in 1-minute epochs during a seven-day period for 16 hours each day, gauging moderate-to-vigorous activity levels as well as sedentary behavior. 

The participants were also arranged in different groups based on sedentary time. Individuals in the highest risk group were those who were sedentary for 13 hours or more per day, regardless of whether they met weekly exercise criteria (150 minutes of moderate activity, 75 minutes of vigorous activity or a combination of comparable activity).

"Any time people are off their feet and in one place -- including while they are sitting and reading, doing office work, watching TV, eating or riding in a car or bus -- they are considered sedentary," lead author Qi said in a journal news release. "For people who have sedentary jobs, it's unclear whether more exercise at other times of day can reduce their heart risk. Still, these data suggest that getting up from your desk job to move around once in a while could be beneficial."

The study showed varied sedentary time among participants. Participants of Mexican descent were likely to sedentary for 11.5 hours each day, while those of Dominican background were likely to be sedentary for 12.5 hours each day. The findings in the report were consistent with previous data, revealing the association between triglycerides and insulin resistance, but not cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Those with the highest sedentary time face risk of diabetes and heart disease.

When those with the highest sedentary time was compared with the most active participants, the most sedentary participants had 6 percent lower levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, 16 percent higher levels of triglycerides and 29 percent higher insulin resistance. The most inactive participants were more likely to be of Dominican or Puerto Rican background, unemployed, have poor diets, be less likely to utilize medications and health care, and reside in the Bronx.

Qi recommended that physicians work with U.S. Latino patients to help them to increase exercise time, make lifestyle modifications and manage diet to reduce sedentary behavior. Efforts to reduce sedentary behaviors play an important role when it comes to prevention. Physical inactivity is associated with increased risk of morbidity or the worsening of many chronic diseases and health conditions. Also, researchers accounted for multiple factors that affect health, including education and employment, smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and medications, and those things should factor into health outcomes.