RESEARCH The prospective relationsh c

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground Sedentary behaviour refers to activities performed sit-ting that typically have low energy expenditure (1 to 1.5 metabolic equivalent multiples of rest) [1]. Recently, sedentary behaviour has been identified as an impor-tant and independent lifestyle risk factor of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) [2–6]. The hypothesised mechanism underlying the biological consequences of prolonged sitting suggests that loss of local contractile stimulation in weight bearing muscles leads to the suppression of skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity [7,8]. The loss of LPL activity at the vascular endothelium impairs several aspects of lipid metabolism [9], and may contribute to increased cardio-metabolic risk. A number of reviews demonstrated mixed findings for a positive longitudinal relationship of overall sedentary time with the risk of T2DM and CVD [5,6]. Most stu-dies have focused on TV time only and the few studie