Short walk after eating can reduce diabetes risk, researchers say

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BOSTON - A quick walk after eating can reduce your chances of developing diabetes.

When you eat, you get a spike in blood sugar followed by a rise in insulin levels to control that blood sugar. In excess, this can eventually lead to diabetes.

Researchers in Ireland found that light walking for as little as two to five minutes before you get a spike in blood sugar, usually 60 to 90 minutes after eating, can reduce both blood sugar and insulin levels compared to prolonged sitting after eating.

They say walking engages your muscles, which helps use up some of the excess glucose in the bloodstream.

Diabetes

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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