A new study has found that doing physical activity in the afternoon or evening is better for controlling blood sugar levels compared to doing it evenly throughout the day.
Key findings:
- Doing physical activity in the afternoon or evening is better for controlling blood sugar levels compared to doing it evenly throughout the day.
- Morning physical activity did not offer any advantages.
- Taking breaks from sitting throughout the day can help reduce the risk of developing metabolic diseases, like type 2 diabetes.
Recommendations:
- If you are looking to improve your blood sugar control, try to do most of your physical activity in the afternoon or evening.
- If you are not able to do all of your physical activity in the afternoon or evening, try to break up your sitting time throughout the day by standing up and moving around every 20-30 minutes.
- If you have diabetes or are at risk for developing diabetes, talk to your doctor about how much physical activity is right for you.
The study, published in Diabetologia, found that morning physical activity did not offer any advantages. The researchers used data from the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity (NEO) study, which included 6,671 participants between the ages of 45 and 65.
Participants were given an accelerometer and heart rate monitor to wear for four days to monitor their movement and activity.
The researchers found that those who did physical activity in the afternoon or evening had less insulin resistance and better blood sugar control.
They also found that taking breaks from sitting throughout the day can help reduce the risk of developing metabolic diseases, like type 2 diabetes.