Even 2 minutes of walking after eating can do you good

Walking after food sounds like a great idea.

A new study found that a few minutes can also do good, especially if you do them at these times

Voila system!

health

11/08/2022

Thursday, August 11, 2022, 07:53

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share by email

• Share in general

• Comments

  Comments

'Mini walking' is also a very effective thing.

A woman walks in the park (Photo: ShutterStock)

Walking after a meal helps clear the mind and soul from the day that was and also aids digestion.

But not only.

Scientists have also found that going for a 15-minute walk after a meal can lower blood sugar levels, which can help prevent diseases like type 2 diabetes. But, as it turns out, even just a few minutes of walking can trigger these benefits.

In a meta-analysis recently published in the journal Sports Medicine, researchers looked at 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 walking lightly after a meal, at intervals of about two to five minutes, had a significant effect on lowering blood sugar levels.

Even a few minutes helps

In five of the studies the paper considered, none of the participants had prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. The remaining two studies looked at people with and without such diseases.

Participants were asked to stand or walk for two to five minutes every 20 to 30 minutes throughout the day.

All seven studies showed that a few minutes of walking at a light intensity after a meal was enough to significantly improve blood sugar levels compared to, for example, sitting at a table or lying on the couch.

When the participants went for 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 their disease.

Also, researchers believe that sharp increases and crashes in blood sugar levels can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes.

Take a walk down the hall and grab a coffee.

People in the office (Photo: ShutterStock)

"Take a walk down the hall"

Although light walking at any time is good for health, a short walk within 60 to 90 minutes of eating a meal can be especially useful in minimizing blood sugar spikes, as this is when blood sugar levels tend to peak.

The authors of the study noted that a 'mini-walk' of two to three minutes is more practical during the working day.

People "aren't going to get up and run on a treadmill or run around the office," they said, "but they can drink coffee or even go for a walk down the hall."

For people who work from home, the researchers suggested a short walk around the block between Zoom meetings or after lunch. The more types of walks during the working day, the more feasible they will be."

• health

• news

Tags

• walk

• diet

• diabetes mellitus