Study on Diet, TV Viewing, and Blood Sugar Levels

A recent study conducted in Australia suggests that following a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may lower 2-hour blood sugar levels and may attenuate higher levels observed with prolonged sitting, such as viewing TV. The study results are published in the Journal of Diabetes.

TV viewing is associated with increased blood sugar, but whether or not such associations can be modified by dietary patterns is not clear. Yingting Cao, from The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and colleagues aimed to examine the interactions of TV viewing time and dietary patterns in relation to fasting and 2-hour blood sugar.

For this purpose, they performed a cross-sectional analysis from the 2011 to 2012 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab). Included participants were those clinically diagnosed with diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

To identify dietary patterns, the researchers conducted factor analysis (principal component). Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine distinct associations of TV viewing time and dietary patterns with fasting and 2-hour blood sugar. Dichotomous TV viewing time (low: ≤ 2 h/d vs high: >2 h/d) and quartiles of dietary patterns were further combined to examine the joint associations with plasma glucose.

Three dietary patterns were identified: prudent, Western, and mixed.

Key Findings of the Study

• TV viewing time was positively associated (β = .01) and the prudent dietary pattern was inversely associated (β = −.03) with log-transformed 2-hour plasma glucose.
• Compared with participants with high TV viewing/lowest prudent dietary pattern, participants with low TV viewing/highest prudent diet had the lowest 2-hour plasma glucose (β = −.05).
• No interactions were found between TV viewing time and the Western dietary pattern, nor the mixed dietary pattern, in relation to either fasting or 2-hour plasma glucose.

"Following a prudent dietary pattern may attenuate the adverse effect of TV viewing on 2-hour plasma glucose," wrote the authors. "Prospective studies and intervention trials are needed to further clarify these relationships."

The study titled, "The association of TV viewing time with 2-hour plasma glucose is modified by a prudent dietary pattern," is published in the Journal of Diabetes.

DOI: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1753-0407.13153