For people with Type 2 diabetes, after-dinner workouts offer the biggest bang, when it comes to reducing levels of sugars and fats in their blood. That’s the finding of new University of Missouri research showing diabetics can lower their risks of heart disease and stroke more effectively by exercising after a meal.
Exercise is usually recommended for individuals with Type 2 diabetes, but little research has examined whether greater benefits accrue from working out before or after dinner — until now.
"This study shows that it is not just the intensity or duration of exercising that is important but also the timing of when it occurs," said Jill Kanaley, professor in the MU Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. "Results from this study show that resistance exercise has its most powerful effect on reducing glucose and fat levels in one's blood when performed after dinner."
Kanaley and her colleagues studied a group of obese diabetic. On one occasion, participants worked out before eating dinner. On another, they exercised 45 minutes after eating dinner.
The results showed those who exercised before dinner were able to only reduce the sugar levels in their blood. But those who worked out after dinner were able to reduce both sugar and fat levels.
"Knowing that the best time to exercise is after a meal could provide health care professionals with a better understanding of how to personalize exercise prescriptions to optimize health benefits," Kanaley said.
Kanaley noted the improvements in participants' blood sugar and fat were short-lived and did not extend to the next day, suggesting daily exercise in key to maintaining healthy levels.
"Individuals who exercise in the morning have usually fasted for 10 hours beforehand," Kanaley said. "Also, it is natural for individuals' hormone levels to be different at different times of day, which is another factor to consider when determining the best time to exercise."
The study was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
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