Author(s): HASHIMOTO, K., DORA, K., MURAKAMI, Y., MATSUMURA, T., SU, Y., HASHIMOTO, T., Institution: RITSUMEIKAN UNIVERSITY, Country: JAPAN, Abstract-ID: 1654

INTRODUCTION:
A rapid increase in blood glucose levels associated with meals is linked to various diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cognitive disorders (1). For post-meal blood glucose control, a previous study reported a better effect of 30-min walking immediately after meals (2), compared with 30-min walking 30-min after meals, which is generally recommended for blood glucose control (3). Regarding exercise duration for blood glucose control, a previous study reported that the chronic effect of 10 minutes of walking after each meal, which might be easily implemented, was greater than walking for 30 minutes before breakfast (4). However, this is a comparison with pre-meal walking, which is considered to have a lower effectiveness for blood glucose control compared to exercise immediately after meals (2). The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of 10-min walking immediately after glucose ingestion (i.e., 10 min-walk condition) on blood glucose control, compared with that of 30-min walking 30-min after a meal (i.e., 30 min-walk condition).
METHODS:
Twelve healthy young adults (6 females; aged 20 ± 1 yrs) participated in the crossover trial. The study included three conditions: rest, 10 min-walk condition, and 30 min-walk condition. The walking speed during the walking conditions was self-selected by the participants to be comfortable. In place of a meal, a 75 g oral glucose ingestion was used as a glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Blood glucose levels were measured every 10 minutes for up to 2 hours after glucose ingestion. Area under the curve for glucose (glucose AUC), mean blood glucose levels, the peak blood glucose level, and Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) were measured. ANOVA and Fisher’s LSD were used to compare the three conditions regarding blood glucose indicators. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare RPE between walking conditions.
RESULTS:
Glucose AUC and mean blood glucose levels at 2 hours after glucose ingestion were significantly lower after 10 min-walk condition (15607 ± 702 mg•h/dL, p = .011; 127.9 ± 19.4 mg/L, p = .010) and 30 min-walk condition (15732 ± 731 mg•h/dL, p = .030; 128.9 ± 5.8 mg/L, p = .034) compared to the rest condition (16605 ± 745 mg•h/dL, 135.8 ± 20.5 mg/dL), respectively. Interestingly, the peak blood glucose level was significantly lower only 10 min-walk condition (164.3 ± 8.9 mg/dL, p = .028) compared to the rest condition (181.9 ± 8.4 mg/dL), while that of 30 min-walk condition (175.8 ± 9.6 mg/dL, p = .184) was not different from the rest condition. Furthermore, RPE was significantly lower during the 10 min-walk condition (7 [6-7]; median [IQR], p = .003) compared to the 30 min-walk condition (9 [8-10]; median [IQR]).
CONCLUSION:
Even a brief 10-minute walk immediately after a meal was suggested to be effective for suppressing post-meal blood glucose elevation.
1.Zuo & Wu. Ther Adv Chronic Dis, 2022
2.Solomon et al. Pflugers Arch, 2020
3.Chacko. Scientifica, 2016
4.Pahra et al. Diabetol Metab Syndr, 2017