A claim you hear on longevity podcasts

Does walking after eating lower blood sugar spikes?

Leaning for. Of 10 studies that test it, 6 partly agree and 4 agree.

Best for:
Anyone who wants smaller blood sugar spikes after meals
Price:
Free to read, with every receipt. Pro is $9 a month or $79 a year and adds AI Ask.

The claim checked: A 10 to 20 minute walk after eating smooths out your blood sugar spikes Hear it at 22:52

What do the studies say?

Leaning for

Four of ten studies agree. In 41 adults with type 2 diabetes, walking after meals cut the rise in blood sugar by 12% compared with walking at other times. A review found the same in healthy people and in people with diabetes. Six are mixed, mostly because they tested a different walk: short breaks every half hour, or walks of 30 minutes or more. In one study of women over 50, a 15-minute walk lowered the spike, but not by enough to be sure it was real.

Computed from 10 studies that test this point, each judged by two readers, in full. 6 more studies are waiting for a full read and do not count yet.

What was said on the podcast?

“Like, there's a lot of science around how if you just take a ten to twenty minute walk after eating, everything will smooth out and you won't have these spikes in sugar and you'll really improve your metabolism.”
Mark Hyman, The Doctor's Farmacy · Why Your Insulin Resistance Isn't Permanent (And How to Fix It) · 22:52 on YouTube
Episode check Heart risk climbs from a fasting blood sugar inside the normal range, the episode says. Four of seven studies disagree. 6 claims checked against 62 studies · 8 chapters not checked yet See the whole episode →
The point checked Leaning for

A 10 to 20 minute walk after eating lowers the post-meal blood sugar spike

Agree 4

controlled trial · 2013

“More important, however, the cumulative glucose response to breakfast, lunch, and dinner (10.5-h iAUC; Fig. 2 C ) was significantly lower during both the ADL (365 ± 51 mmol/L/10.5 h; P < 0.05) and moderate-intensity exercise condition (285 ± 38 mmol/L/10.5 h; P < 0.001) compared with the sedentary control condition (448 ± 54 mmol/L/10.5 h).”

Effect of moderate-intensity exercise versus activities of daily living on 24-hour blood glucose homeostasis in male patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care
Who: 20 men with type 2 diabetes (19 on oral glucose-lowering medication, 1 diet only), Maastricht, the Netherlands
PMID 24041682

controlled trial · 2013

“On the other hand, postmeal exercise was the only exercise prescription to significantly reduce 3-h postdinner glucose levels (measured at ∼9:30 p.m. ) ( P < 0.01) and the 3-h AUC for dinner ( P < 0.03) relative to the control day ( Fig. 3 B and Table 1 ).”

Three 15-min bouts of moderate postmeal walking significantly improves 24-h glycemic control in older people at risk for impaired glucose tolerance. Diabetes Care
Who: Older (>=60, mean 69) otherwise healthy, inactive men and women at risk for impaired glucose tolerance (fasting glucose 105-125 mg/dL), mean BMI 30, Washington DC area
PMID 23761134

controlled trial · 2016

“Overall postprandial glycaemia, as measured by the iAUC, was 12% (95% CI 1%, 22%) lower during the post-meal walking period than when following conventional physical activity advice.”

Advice to walk after meals is more effective for lowering postprandial glycaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus than advice that does not specify timing: a randomised crossover study. Diabetologia
Who: 41 free-living adults with type 2 diabetes in Dunedin, New Zealand, mean age 60, 63% male, mean HbA1c 7.5%, mean diabetes duration 10 years
PMID 27747394

systematic review · 2020

“In conclusion, the findings of this systematic review show a beneficial effect of post-meal exercise on improved PP glycemic response regardless of time of day in healthy individuals and participants with overweight/obesity and/or T2D.”

The Effect of Timing of Exercise and Eating on Postprandial Response in Adults: A Systematic Review. Nutrients
Who: Adults who were healthy, overweight/obese or had T2D (some included trials studied insulin-dependent diabetes) in 20 crossover trials of exercise timed relative to meals
PMID 31952250

Partly agree 6

controlled trial · 2016

“In the subset of eight participants from the IDLE study reported in the current investigation, iAUC for glucose was reduced by 22% and 20% respectively with light- and moderate-intensity interruptions ( Fig. 1 ).”

Frequent interruptions of sedentary time modulates contraction- and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake pathways in muscle: Ancillary analysis from randomized clinical trials. Sci Rep
Who: Overweight/obese (BMI >25), sedentary adults aged 45-75 without diagnosed diabetes; biopsy subset of 8 (IDLE) and 5 (ABLE) participants
PMID 27554943

pooled analysis · 2022

“Light-intensity walking showed a greater attenuation of glucose and insulin compared to standing interruptions and prolonged sitting.”

The Acute Effects of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting Time in Adults with Standing and Light-Intensity Walking on Biomarkers of Cardiometabolic Health in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Med
Who: Adults (>18) in seven acute randomized crossover trials in the UK and USA, mostly sedentary, overweight or obese, some with impaired glucose regulation
PMID 35147898

trial or observed group · 2012

“In conclusion, we demonstrate for the time, to our knowledge, that slow-pace walking improves postprandial glucose excursion in healthy controls and people with type 1 diabetes.”

The effect of walking on postprandial glycemic excursion in patients with type 1 diabetes and healthy people. Diabetes Care
Who: 12 healthy control adults and 12 age- and sex-matched adults with type 1 diabetes, inpatient at the Mayo Clinic clinical research unit
PMID 22875231

controlled trial · 2020

“In conclusion, breaking prolonged sitting with regular bouts of light walking, but not standing, reduced postprandial plasma insulin, glucose, and systolic blood pressure levels in a bi-ethnic population of older adults, with beneficial effects on postprandial insulin largest in South Asians who had higher levels of insulin resistance compared with white Europeans.”

Metabolic Effects of Breaking Prolonged Sitting With Standing or Light Walking in Older South Asians and White Europeans: A Randomized Acute Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci
Who: 60 older adults aged 65-79 (30 South Asian, 30 white European) in Leicester and Glasgow, UK, not on glucose-lowering medication
PMID 30403772

Show 2 more Show fewer

controlled trial · 2009

“The decreases from control to W15 (11.0%) and from W15 to W40 (22.7%) did not attain statistical significance.”

Slow postmeal walking reduces postprandial glycemia in middle-aged women. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab
Who: Healthy Caucasian women over 50 with sedentary office work in Norway, fasting glucose <=6.0 mmol/L (one excluded for impaired fasting glucose)
PMID 20029518

controlled trial · 2020

“Mean glucose in the immediate post-meal walking trial was significantly different to control ( P < 0.05; Fig. 3b ) and pre-meal walking ( P = 0.002; Fig. 3b ).”

Immediate post-breakfast physical activity improves interstitial postprandial glycemia: a comparison of different activity-meal timings. Pflugers Arch
Who: Healthy, physically active adults aged 18-65 with BMI 18-30; walking study group of 16 (5 men, 11 women, mean age 24)
PMID 31396757

Disagree 0· none of the studies we read

More on exercise and muscle

Strong consensus for Below-average vs above-average VO2 max for age carries a 1.41 hazard ratio, the same as smoking Read the check → Strong consensus for Every 10 kg less grip strength means about 30% higher all-cause mortality Read the check → Strong consensus for HIIT makes the body build healthier, more efficient mitochondria Read the check →

All checked claims · How Precis checks a claim · Report an error

The Precis Weekly

Get each new check by email.

One email a week with the claims and episodes we checked, what the studies found and the minute each claim was said.

Free. Unsubscribe anytime.