Type and timing of exercise during lunch breaks for suppressing postprandial increases in blood glucose levels in workers

Abstract

Objectives Suppression of postprandial hyperglycemia may aid in preventing lifestyle‐related diseases in working people. The present study aimed to identify the types and timings of exercises that can be performed by working people during a 60‐minute lunch break that are effective in attenuating postprandial increases in blood glucose levels. Methods Healthy working people aged 20 years and older were subjected to aerobic (AER) or resistance (RES) exercise before (Pre) and after (Post) lunch, assuming a 60‐minute lunch break, with fixed 20‐minute lunch and rest periods. These exercise sessions of 4 different patterns were performed by each participant. Serial measurements of blood glucose levels were obtained every 15 minute using a Flash Glucose Monitoring System. Results Data were analyzed for 11 participants who completed the protocol. Our incremental area under the curve (IAUC) analysis indicated that the AER‐Post condition was associated with the most significant hypoglycemic effect, followed by the AER‐Pre condition. Although the RES‐Post showed no significant difference, a decrease in the IAUC comparison is apparent. However, the RES‐Pre condition exerted no acute effect on blood glucose levels. Conclusions Workers may benefit from a 20‐minute aerobic exercise period, following a 20‐minute lunch and a 20‐minute rest period, as this may help prevent progression to diabetes. Furthermore, performing 20‐minute aerobic exercises prior to lunch may also attenuate postprandial increases in blood glucose levels. Therefore, if the lunch breaks are short, aerobic exercises are recommended before lunch.

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

“…This attenuation of the post-meal glucose peak has implications for the reduction in the cardiometabolic disorders associated with it, as suggested by the reduction in the levels of markers associated with oxidative stress [ 36 ]. Our results extend previous findings on the effectiveness of postprandial exercise in reducing the post-meal glycemic peak [ 8 , 14 , 16 ] to meals characterized by different CHO levels and contents of macronutrients. This constitutes a step forward for suggesting the implementation of a 30 min postprandial moderate walk in daily life scenarios, where the meal content and composition may substantially vary.…”

“…Hence, moderate-intensity walking appears to be a feasible exercise option for everyone as it can easily be performed without the need for any equipment and supervision of an exercise specialist. Importantly, postprandial walking has been proven effective for improving glycemic response to different meals of the day (i.e., breakfast, lunch, and dinner) both in healthy and diabetic individuals [ 8 , 11 , 14 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”

After Dinner Rest a While, After Supper Walk a Mile? A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis on the Acute Postprandial Glycemic Response to Exercise Before and After Meal Ingestion in Healthy Subjects and Patients with Impaired Glucose Tolerance

“…In one study, breakfast included milk and cornflakes [19] while in the other study, a meal replacement drink was ingested [12]. Dinner was either an Italian pasta-based meal [17] or participants were able to choose between four different meals with matched caloric content [18].Three studies included a total number of 69 participants without type 2 diabetes and analyzed the effect of moderate-intensity treadmill walking for 20 [20] and 30 min [11,21], the effect of bodyweight resistance exercise for 20 min [20] and 7 min [11], and the effect of standing upright for 30 min [11]. Two studies compared the effect of resistance exercise and walking [11,20] and one of these studies reported a greater impact of walking compared with bodyweight resistance exercise [20].…”

“…Again, the time intervals between meal and exercise varied between studies. Although all studies on healthy participants [11,20,21] applied designs in which exercise before meal ingestions ended immediately before eating, the time interval between meal ingestion and exercise in the postprandial state varied between 0 and 30 min. Only one of the included studies analyzed the impact of exercise-meal timing in healthy subjects and detected a greater impact of exercise immediately after meal ingestion on postprandial glucose compared with the effect of exercise 30 min after meal ingestion [11].…”

“…Only one of the included studies analyzed the impact of exercise-meal timing in healthy subjects and detected a greater impact of exercise immediately after meal ingestion on postprandial glucose compared with the effect of exercise 30 min after meal ingestion [11]. Two studies on healthy participants assessed the impact of exercise around breakfast, which consisted of either a replacement drink [11] or a normal breakfast [21], and one around lunch (100 g of rice combined with an ad libitum amount of side dishes) [20].…”