The American Diabetes Association recommends getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week for optimal cardio-metabolic health. Research has shown that less exercise, while not ideal, can also deliver some health benefits. .A new meta-analysis published in Sports Medicine suggests that even 2 to 5 minutes of light walking right after eating may reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. The study finds that light walking or standing helps smooth post-meal blood sugar spikes. The study found that light walking and standing provides the most benefit when done within 60 to 90 minutes of finishing a meal.Light walking is more effective at reducing postprandial glucose compared to standing and prolonged sitting due to the increased muscular contractions completed when walking. These muscular contractions have been shown to increase the uptake ofglucose in the skeletal muscle. We work our muscles as we walk or exercise, the muscles need glucose for energy every time they contract. If muscles are contracted within 90 minutes of finishing a meal, our muscles will soak up some of the glucose from the meal, therefore reducing the meal's glucose spike. The harder and more frequently we contract our muscles, the more glucose they will soak up.When our muscles contract they are able to uptake glucose without the help of insulin (whereas otherwise, insulin is needed to allow glucose to enter cells). Since walking allows muscles to uptake a significant amount of glucose, there is less leftover glucose for our body to deal with, therefore a lesser need for our pancreas to produce insulin to dispose of it. This is why we see that walking reduces postprandial insulin levels.
The American Diabetes Association recommends getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week for optimal cardio-metabolic health. Research has shown that less exercise, while not ideal, can also deliver some health benefits. .A new meta-analysis published in Sports Medicine suggests that even 2 to 5 minutes of light walking right after eating may reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. The study finds that light walking or standing helps smooth post-meal blood sugar spikes. The study found that light walking and standing provides the most benefit when done within 60 to 90 minutes of finishing a meal.Light walking is more effective at reducing postprandial glucose compared to standing and prolonged sitting due to the increased muscular contractions completed when walking. These muscular contractions have been shown to increase the uptake ofglucose in the skeletal muscle. We work our muscles as we walk or exercise, the muscles need glucose for energy every time they contract. If muscles are contracted within 90 minutes of finishing a meal, our muscles will soak up some of the glucose from the meal, therefore reducing the meal's glucose spike. The harder and more frequently we contract our muscles, the more glucose they will soak up.When our muscles contract they are able to uptake glucose without the help of insulin (whereas otherwise, insulin is needed to allow glucose to enter cells). Since walking allows muscles to uptake a significant amount of glucose, there is less leftover glucose for our body to deal with, therefore a lesser need for our pancreas to produce insulin to dispose of it. This is why we see that walking reduces postprandial insulin levels.
