Walking 2 minutes after meals lowers blood sugar levels

Walking after a meal, conventional wisdom says, helps clear your head and eases digestion. Scientists have found that taking 15 minutes of walking after a meal can lower blood sugar levels, which can help ward off complications like type 2 diabetes. But as it turned out, just a few minutes of walking can activate these benefits as well.

In a meta-analysis recently published in the journal Sports Medicine, researchers analyzed the results of seven studies that compared the effects of sitting versus standing or walking on measures of heart health, including insulin and blood sugar levels.

They found that brisk walking after a meal, in increments of just 2 to 5 minutes, had a significant impact on moderating blood sugar levels.

“Every little thing you do will have benefits, even if it’s a small step,” said Kershaw Patel, a preventive cardiologist at Houston Methodist Hospital who was not involved in the study.

In five of the studies evaluated in the article, none of the participants had prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. The remaining two studies looked at people with and without these conditions. The researchers asked participants to stand or walk for 2 to 5 minutes every 20 to 30 minutes over the course of an entire day.

All seven studies showed that just a few minutes of light walking after a meal was enough to significantly improve blood sugar levels compared to, say, sitting at a table or on a couch. When the participants took a short walk, their blood sugar levels rose and fell more gradually.

For people with diabetes, avoiding sharp fluctuations in blood sugar levels is a critical component of managing the disease. It is also believed that spikes and drops in blood sugar levels can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes.

Standing also helped lower blood sugar levels, though not as much as light walking. “Standing had a small benefit,” said Aidan Buffey, a graduate student at the University of Limerick in Ireland and author of the paper. Compared to sitting or standing, “walking with light intensity was a superior intervention,” he said.

That’s because light walking requires more active muscle involvement than standing, and it uses up food fuel at a time when there’s a lot of it circulating in the bloodstream.

“Your muscles are going to absorb some of that excess glucose,” said Jessie Inchauspé, author of the book “The Glucose Revolution: Balance Blood Sugar Levels and Change Your Life.”

“You ate the same meal, but the impact on your body will be less,” she added.

Walking should be 60 to 90 minutes after a meal

While a brisk walk at any time is good for your health, a short walk within 60 to 90 minutes after a meal can be especially helpful in minimizing blood sugar spikes, as this is when blood sugar levels tend to peak. .

Inchauspé also recommended getting up to do household chores or finding other ways to move the body. This small amount of activity will also reinforce dietary changes people are making to help control blood sugar levels.

“Moving around is worthwhile and can lead to measurable changes, as these studies have shown, in your health markers,” said Euan Ashley, a cardiologist at Stanford University who was not associated with the study.

Miniwalks are more practical during the workday

Buffey, whose research focuses on physical activity interventions in work settings, noted that a 2- to 3-minute mini-walk is practical during the workday. People “are not going to get up and run on a treadmill or around the office,” he said, but they can grab a coffee or even take a walk down the hall.

For people working from home, he suggested a short walk around the block between Zoom meetings or after lunch. The more we normalize mini-walks during the workday, said Buffey, the more viable they will be. “If you’re in a rigid environment, that’s where difficulties can arise.”

If you can’t take those few minutes to go for a walk, Ashley said, “standing will help you get there.”

The benefits of physical activity are never all or nothing, Patel said, but they exist on a continuum. “It’s a gradual effect of more activity, better health,” he said. “Every incremental step, every incremental lift or quick walk seems to have a benefit.”