Got diabetes? This simple trick could reduce your risk of a heart attack–after dinner.
According to a study led by researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia, people with type 2 diabetes who exercised after dinner reduced both blood sugars and fats in their blood, minimizing their risk of future cardiovascular events, such as a heart attack.
The findings appear in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
“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,” says Jill Kanaley, a professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. “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.”
Teaming up with other Missouri-Columbia researchers, Kanaley studied 13 obese patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, something commonplace with obesity. Kanaley then subjected them to a series of tests, which included exercising before or after a meal. On one occasion, Kanaley instructed them to exercise 45 minutes after eating dinner, having them do leg curls, calf raises, and abdominal crunches as part of a resistance training workout.
After each test Kanaley measured their blood, and found that regardless of when they exercised, their blood sugar decreased. However, when they exercised after eating a meal, it lowered more than their blood sugar–it also lowered the amount of fat in their blood too.
This is important because high fat levels in the blood can lead to hardening of the arteries, increasing a person’s heart attack risk.
“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,” says Kanaley. “Individuals [should] practice daily resistance exercise after dinner to maintain improvements.”
On a less positive note, however, Kanaley also found that despite these improvements, they often didn’t last–at the most, they lasted for around a day. This means if people wish to reap these benefits, they’ll need to make exercise a regular, if not daily habit. Exercising once or twice a week just isn’t enough.
What This Means For You
Diabetes is a tough battle–and with a higher risk of heart problems, the uphill battle often seems impossible to overcome. Luckily, lowering your heart attack risk could be as simple as exercising after eating a meal, according to Kanaley’s research.
Your best bet? Make sure it’s resistance or weight training exercise, something which can also temporarily raise your metabolism, according to previous research.
Readers: If you have diabetes, do you manage it with exercise or diet? If so, how do you manage it?
Sources:
Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Should Exercise After Dinner – ScienceDaily.com
Post-Dinner Resistance Exercise Improves Postprandial Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetics (Study) – Physiology.org
About The Author: Zero to Hero Fitness!
Our mission at Zero to Hero Fitness is to help you to finally lose the weight and keep it off, strengthen your body and mind, and experience naturally high levels of energy throughout the day. We believe everyone, regardless of your past or current struggles with your health or fitness, can greatly improve on your existing condition and live life in your best body possible.