Could the Shape of Your Behind Reveal a Hidden Health Risk?

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Health & Fitness, Alternative Health

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 6 January 2026

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Americans spend about nine hours sitting and nearly five hours on their phones daily, contributing to a sedentary way of life
In a featured study presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), researchers found that muscle shape, not size, may reveal early metabolic changes and even signal disease risk
The World Health Organization (WHO) advises getting at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week. Yet many people fall short of these targets because inactivity significantly raises the risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and other cancers
Long, unbroken sitting bouts are associated with circulation problems, back pain, brain fog, higher cancer risk, and an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes
Shape yourself up for better health by standing more, walking whenever you can, eating a nutritious diet, and getting enough sleep and sunlight

Transcript

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0:00.0	Could your daily shape be silently mapping your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and even certain cancers?
0:06.0	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen
0:11.5	summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go. No reading required.
0:16.0	Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights. Hello and welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom.
0:23.1	I'm Ethan Foster, and today we're examining new research on how long sitting, low movement,
0:29.8	and even the shape of your gluteus maximus can reveal early metabolic changes and hidden
0:34.9	disease risk.
0:36.0	I'm Alara Skye.
0:42.1	We're focusing on findings presented at the Radiological Society of North America,
0:48.4	where researchers analyzed more than 61,000 MRI scans from the UK Biobank to see how the largest buttock muscle shifts with age, fitness, frailty, sedentary time, and type 2 diabetes, and why those
0:57.3	shifts matter for you. Americans spend close to nine hours a day sitting and nearly five hours on
1:03.5	phones, with roughly 80% of jobs being sedentary. When you add burnout and short sleep,
1:09.8	44% burned out, and about a third sleeping under
1:13.0	seven hours. You get a lifestyle that normalizes the chair, the commute, and the couch,
1:19.1	even as energy and mood slide.
1:21.2	The MRI mapping showed two distinct patterns. An outward deformation aligned with higher
1:26.3	fitness, more vigorous activity, and stronger
1:29.0	hand grip, while an inward deformation tracked with aging, frailty, and long sitting times.
1:35.5	In practical terms, prolonged sitting was linked with muscle thinning, a marker of declining
1:40.1	function. Type 2, diabetes added another layer. Men tended to show shrinkage of the gluteus maximus, while women showed enlargement likely
1:49.0	driven by fat infiltration.
1:51.0	That sex-specific divergence suggests the same disease can remodel your muscle differently,
	...

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