The Effects of Postprandial Walking on the Glucose Response after Meals with Different Characteristics

Abstract

We evaluated the effect of postprandial walking on the post-meal glycemic response after meals with different characteristics. Twenty-one healthy young volunteers participated in one of two randomized repeated measures studies. Study 1 (10 participants) assessed the effects of 30 min of brisk walking after meals with different carbohydrate (CHO) content (0.75 or 1.5 g of CHO per kg/body weight). Study 2 (11 participants) evaluated the effects of 30 min of brisk walking after consuming a mixed meal or a CHO drink matched for absolute CHO content (75 g). Postprandial brisk walking substantially reduced (p < 0.009) the glucose peak in both studies, with no significant differences across conditions. When evaluating the glycemic response throughout the two hours post-meal, postprandial walking was more effective after consuming a lower CHO content (Study 1), and similarly effective after a mixed meal or a CHO drink (Study 2), although higher glucose values were observed when consuming the CHO drink. Our findings show that a 30 min postprandial brisk walking session improves the glycemic response after meals with different CHO content and macronutrient composition, with implications for postprandial exercise prescription in daily life scenarios.

Walking Attenuates Postprandial Glycemic Response: What Else Can We Do without Leaving Home or the Office?

“…Exercise is a valuable tool for improving the acute glycemic response to a meal in healthy and diabetic individuals. Several studies have suggested that exercise-induced reductions in postprandial glycemia have important effects on the cardiometabolic state of individuals [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. The effect of exercise on the glycemic response may change considerably depending on when an exercise session is performed with respect to the meal.…”

“…Likewise, different exercise types (e.g., running, walking, cycling, resistance exercise and different combinations of resistance and aerobic exercise) are similarly effective in reducing the postprandial glucose response [2,4,5], with only minor between-type differences observed in most of the cases. Therefore, it has been suggested that 30 min of brisk walking is a valid exercise strategy for different populations [2,3]. However, the fact that different postprandial exercise types 2 of 15 have similar effects on the glycemic response has other implications that require further consideration.…”

“…Despite the well-established effectiveness of postprandial exercise, adherence to this practice is often insufficient, as for exercise in general [16][17][18][19][20]. However, postprandial exercise adherence has additional challenges, especially considering that its effectiveness is reduced if exercise is not performed soon (i.e., <30 min) after the meal [2,3,11,12]. One of these challenges is the location where the exercise is performed.…”

Effects of communication with others on postprandial blood glucose tolerance

“…In the Friend and Stranger Conditions, unlike the Alone Condition, energy consumption occurred during skeletal muscle movement associated with speech, and it is possible that this may have affected blood sugar level fluctuations. However, when energy is consumed by skeletal muscles during exercise such as walking immediately after a glucose load, blood glucose levels drop significantly immediately afterward [34]. In this study, although the amount of speech during communication was the same as that shown in Figure 3, the blood sugar level at 15 min did not differ significantly between the three conditions, as shown in Figure 5b.…”

Transfer learning with randomized controlled trial data for postprandial glucose prediction

“…Conversely, the latter model embraces interdependency between dietary and exercise responses in a synergistic manner. This is substantiated by contemporary medical insights that highlight how the impact of postprandial exercise on glucose reduction is contingent upon carbohydrate intake levels [26] and the elevation in postprandial blood glucose [27]. Our supposition in the synergistic model postulates that such interactive impacts manifest through the multiplication of dietary and exercise effects.…”