Liu Boren, president of Cobot Clinic, said that when you exercise may also affect the effect of blood sugar control. Studies have shown that walking after three meals can lower blood sugar more than walking for 30 minutes at a time; situational photo.
[Health Channel/Comprehensive Report] In addition to diet, exercise is also important to control blood sugar. In this regard, Liu Boren, president of Cobot Clinic, pointed out that exercise is not only a matter of length of time, but also when to exercise may also affect the effect of blood sugar control. The study found that patients with type 2 diabetes walked for 30 minutes every day and walked for 10 minutes after three meals. The area under the blood glucose rising curve 3 hours after a meal was lower, especially after dinner, with an improvement of about 22%.
You feel the sensation after walking for 10 minutes after three meals
Liu Boren posted on Facebook that a randomized crossover trial published in the international diabetes medical journal "Diabetologia" in 2016 included 41 type 2 diabetes patients with an average age of about 60 years old. Researchers compared two types of exercise: the first type walked for 30 minutes at a time every day; the second type walked for 10 minutes each after breakfast, lunch and dinner. The daily exercise time for both methods is 30 minutes. The results showed that for patients who walked after three meals, the area under the blood glucose rising curve 3 hours after the meal was on average about 12% lower than that of walking concentratedly for 30 minutes. The improvement was most obvious after dinner, with an improvement of about 22%.
Why can walking after meals help lower blood sugar? Liu Boren explained that after ingesting carbohydrate-containing foods such as rice, pasta, and fruits, the glucose in the blood will gradually increase. At this time, insulin will help the glucose enter the cells. When the muscle begins to contract, it can promote the GLUT4 glucose transporter to move to the muscle cell membrane through a signaling pathway that is partially different from that of insulin, increasing glucose uptake. In other words, walking moderately after a meal is like letting the muscles start working to help process the energy just eaten.
Exercise 10 minutes after meals like this
Liu Boren suggested that after eating, if your body is comfortable, you can arrange for about 10 minutes of easy or moderate walking. You don’t have to run, and you don’t have to run so fast that you are out of breath. You can take a walk around your home, or just stay in place at home. If you seldom exercise, you can start by walking for 5 minutes, and then gradually increase the time. If you have obvious stomach discomfort after meals, you can take a short rest before exercising.
5 ethnic groups must be evaluated before implementation
Liu Boren reminded that patients who use insulin or sulfonylurea hypoglycemic drugs may increase the risk of hypoglycemia during exercise and should monitor their blood sugar as recommended by their physician. People with severe cardiovascular disease, foot ulcers, obvious neuropathy, or those who are prone to falls must also choose appropriate exercise methods.
Liu Boren emphasized that walking after meals cannot replace drug treatment, let alone that as long as you walk for 10 minutes, you can eat unlimited sweets or refined starches. Diet control and regular exercise still need to work together to help manage blood sugar.
