Physical activity has a positive impact on the regulation of blood glucose levels, something of special importance in the case of adults who are overweight or obese, since they have a higher risk of developing insulin resistance. However, little is known about the optimal time of day to perform this exercise to improve daily blood glucose control.
Now, a new study carried out by researchers at the University of Granada has revealed that performing moderate to vigorous physical activity in the evening is more beneficial for reducing daily blood sugar levels in sedentary adults with overweight and obesity. “Choosing the ideal time of day appears to be an emerging strategy to enhance the benefits of physical activity on glucose metabolism, especially in people with insulin resistance and at risk of type 2 diabetes,” the researchers highlighted.
The data for the study were obtained from initial examinations of a multicenter randomized controlled trial carried out in Granada and Pamplona and whose objective was to study the efficacy and feasibility of time-restricted feeding on visceral adipose tissue (main outcome), body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight and obese adults.
Prioritize physical activity in the evening
A total of 186 adults with an average age of 46 years who were overweight or obese and had at least one metabolic disorder participated in the study. Participants’ physical activity and glucose patterns were monitored simultaneously over a 14-day period using a triaxial accelerometer on the nondominant wrist and a continuous glucose monitoring device.
The study researchers rated the volume of moderate to vigorous physical activity accumulated each day. Categories included inactive (if no activity was accumulated) and ‘morning’, ‘afternoon’ or ‘evening’ if more than 50% of the minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity that day were accumulated between 6 and 12 the morning, between 12 noon and 6 p.m., between 6 p.m. and midnight; or as ‘mixed’ if none of the defined time slots represented more than 50% of the moderate to vigorous physical activity that day.
“Accumulating more moderate to vigorous physical activity during the night seems to have a beneficial effect on glucose homeostasis in sedentary adults with overweight or obesity and metabolic disorders”
The results showed that accumulating more than 50% of moderate to vigorous physical activity between six in the afternoon and twelve at night was associated with a reduction in blood glucose levels during the day, at night and at night. general, compared to being inactive. This association was stronger in those participants whose glucose regulation was impaired. The pattern of these associations was similar in both men and women.
“These findings suggest that the timing of introducing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity into the lifestyle is important and that, specifically, accumulating more of this type of activity during the night appears to have a beneficial effect on blood homeostasis.” glucose in sedentary adults with overweight or obesity and metabolic alterations,” the authors conclude in the article in which they published their findings in the journal Obesity.
The study has been carried out by the PROFITH CTS-977 research group of the University of Granada, together with the San Cecilio Clinical University Hospital and the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital of Granada, the Public University of Navarra and the CIBER of Obesity (CIBEROBN) and Frailty and Healthy Aging (CIBERFES).
Source: University of Granada
