Missouri University. US: Exercising after a meal can more effectively reduce risks of cardiovascular disease. Individuals with Type 2 diabetes have heightened amounts of sugars
and fats in their blood, which increases their risks for cardiovascular
diseases such as strokes and heart attacks. Exercise is a popular
prescription for individuals suffering from the symptoms of Type 2
diabetes, but little research has explored whether these individuals
receive more benefits from working out before or after dinner.
Now,
researchers at the University of Missouri have found
that individuals with Type 2 diabetes can lower their risks of
cardiovascular diseases more effectively by exercising after a meal.
“This study shows that it is not just the intensity or duration of
exercising that is important but also the timing of when it occurs,”
said Jill Kanaley, professor in the MU Department of Nutrition and
Exercise Physiology. “Results from this study show that resistance
exercise has its most powerful effect on reducing glucose and fat levels
in one’s blood when performed after dinner.”
Kanaley and her colleagues studied a group of obese individuals with
Type 2 diabetes. On one occasion, participants performed resistance
exercises before eating dinner. During another visit, participants
exercised 45 minutes after eating dinner. Participants performed
resistance exercises such as leg curls, seated calf raises and abdominal
crunches. Compared to levels on a non-exercise day, Kanaley found that
the participants who exercised before dinner were able to only reduce
the sugar levels in their blood; however, participants who exercised
after dinner were able to reduce both sugar and fat levels. Participants
consumed a moderate carbohydrate dinner on the evenings of the study.
Kanaley said her research is particularly helpful for health care
providers who have patients who exercise every day but are not seeing
benefits.
“Knowing that the best time to exercise is after a meal could provide
health care professionals with a better understanding of how to
personalize exercise prescriptions to optimize health benefits,” Kanaley
said.
Kanaley also found that improvements in participants’ blood sugar and
fat levels were short-lived and did not extend to the next day. She
suggests individuals practice daily resistance exercise after dinner to
maintain improvements.
“Individuals who exercise in the morning have usually fasted for 10
hours beforehand,” Kanaley said. “Also, it is natural for individuals’
hormone levels to be different at different times of day, which is
another factor to consider when determining the best time to exercise.”
In the future, Kanaley said she plans to research how exercising in
the morning differs from exercising after dinner and how individuals’
hormone levels also affect exercise results.
The study, “Post-dinner
resistance exercise improves postprandial risk factors more effectively
than pre-dinner resistance exercise in patients with type 2 diabetes,” was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Faculty members in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology have appointments in MU’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, College of Human Environmental Sciences and School of Medicine.