'Exercise snacks' may help control blood sugar

[Northerner]

Short bursts of intense exercise before meals may help control blood sugar spikes better than one longer, less intense session, suggests a new small study.

Researchers say these “exercise snacks” may be an effective way to improve blood sugar control among people with insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.

“Exercise spread across the day reduces sedentary time, and spread before meals reduces blood glucose spikes after meals,” said lead author Monique Francois.

“Exercise on top of an active lifestyle needs to be more intense than we normally do when walking or moving around,” Francois, from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, added in an email to Reuters Health.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/15/us-exercise-blood-sugar-idUKKBN0DV1IV20140515

 

[Tony R]

My understanding is it depends on how intense the exercise is. If it's a very short sudden burst of intense exercise it can actually higher the glucose levels due to the adrenaline produced.

 

[Northerner]

My understanding is it depends on how intense the exercise is. If it's a very short sudden burst of intense exercise it can actually higher the glucose levels due to the adrenaline produced.

You're correct Tony, although I think the rise is relatively short-lived, and the advantage to a Type 2 in particular is that they will be more insulin sensitive when they eat, mitigating the rise from the meal. 🙂