To keep blood sugar under control, exercise is a good ally. But not at any time of the day. The researchers of the Leiden University Medical Center of the Netherlands found that the effect on insulin resistance changes according to the time of day: moderate to vigorous activity in the afternoon or evening is associated with reduced insulin resistance by up to 25%, while a equal exercise done in the morning, or evenly distributed throughout the day, does not produce the same result.
Circadian rhythms and insulin metabolism
The influence between insulin metabolism and circadian rhythms was already known. The peak is concentrated in the first part of the day while between 18 and midnight it drops drastically and this can help explain the greater glucose tolerance that is evident in the first part of the day compared to the evening.
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The new research just published in Diabetologia, the official journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, examined the cross-cutting associations between sedentary time and physical activity with liver fat content and insulin resistance, discovering the ideal time to play sports.
Obesity, sedentary lifestyle and type 2 diabetes
“The rampant obesity is partly the result of a lack of physical activity combined with sedentary behavior throughout the day. This inevitably increased the risk of developing metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes,” explains Dr. Jeroen van der Velde of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology of Leiden University Medical Center.
“High levels of fasting serum triacylglycerol may be linked to higher concentrations of fat in the liver, which in turn is strongly associated with insulin resistance. But several experimental studies have shown that frequent interruptions of prolonged sitting are enough to lower the levels. of triacylglycerol and blood sugar, leading to a better blood sugar profile “.
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The best time to play sports
In addition to the importance of shortened length of sedentary periods, “it had already been stated that the timing of physical activity during the day can be a factor in metabolic health. So we decided to use data from the Dutch study. Epidemiology of Obesity to understand what was the ideal time to play sports for those who need to keep blood sugars under control “.
Participants in the study were recruited between 2008 and 2012. These are men and women between 45 and 65 who live in the Netherlands, with a body mass index of 26 or above. They underwent a physical examination During which they took blood samples to measure fasting and post-meal glucose and insulin levels, and wore a combined accelerometer and heart rate monitor for four days and four nights to monitor every movement and activity.
Among these, the researchers analyzed the data of 775 people and then identified the 256 who at the time had been randomly chosen to undergo an MRI, thanks to which they also measured the fat content in the liver. By monitoring their activity, those who did more intense exercises in the afternoon or in the evening reduced the resistance from 18% to 25%, while in the other cases there were no significant changes.
The benefits only after noon
“Neither the amount of sedentary time nor the number of interruptions of this behavior found a favorable association with liver fat content or insulin resistance,” adds Dr. Jeroen van der Velde, noting that activity alone carried out after noon brings benefits.
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“The timing of physical activity is a relatively unexplored field in human biology, and the mechanisms behind the potential benefits of timing of physical activity remain unclear. Previous studies have shown that metabolic responses to high-intensity exercise differed according to the In addition, muscle strength and metabolic function of skeletal muscle cells show a peak in the late afternoon, suggesting that being more active during this period may result in a more pronounced metabolic response than when the exercise was performed. activity at the start of the day. Now we can say that timing also affects insulin sensitivity, which is really important to avoid the onset of type 2 diabetes. “