Prolonged sitting and unhealthy lifestyle habits may sharply increase insulin resistance risk among office workers. A cross-sectional study published in Diabetology evaluated over 82,000 employees in Spain, revealing a strong association between sedentary behavior, poor diet, and elevated insulin resistance detected through non–insulin-based indices.

Men exhibited significantly higher insulin resistance risk compared with women across all indices, with odds ratios of 2.48 (TyG), 1.47 (METS-IR), and 1.88 (SPISE). Lifestyle behaviors including smoking, low physical activity, and poor adherence to the Mediterranean diet were independently associated with higher IR scores, irrespective of age or sex.

These findings underscore the value of incorporating TyG, METS-IR, and SPISE as accessible, low-cost measures for detecting early insulin resistance in occupational health settings. Targeted workplace programs focusing on diet improvement and increased physical activity could help mitigate future metabolic and cardiovascular risk.