A study published in Obesity found that evening workouts help maintain steady blood sugar levels.
Researchers from the University of Granada, Spain, investigated the effects of the timing of moderate-to-high-intensity physical activities on blood sugar metabolism.
Building on previous studies that showed exercise improves blood sugar levels; the researchers sought to determine if the timing of exercise affects blood sugar control.
They analyzed the impact of moderate-to-high-intensity exercise performed at different times of the day on blood sugar stability using data from the EXTREME clinical trial.
They monitored the physical activity and blood sugar levels of 186 adults, with an average age of 46.8 and an average Body Mass Index (BMI) of 32.9, classified as obese according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standards. This data was collected over 14 days using wearable devices and continuous glucose monitors.
After analyzing the participants’ data, the researchers categorized them daily based on their activity time in five categories: inactive (no moderate-to-high-intensity physical activity), morning (over 50% of moderate-to-high-intensity physical activity occurs between 6 a.m. and noon), afternoon (over 50% of moderate-to-high-intensity physical activity happens between noon and 6 p.m.), evening (over 50% of moderate-to-high-intensity physical activity occurs between 6 p.m. and midnight), mixed (unable to specify the time of day when over 50% of moderate-to-high-intensity physical activity occurred).
Simultaneously, they tracked each participant’s blood sugar levels alongside their physical activity data. On average, participants engaged in 24 minutes of moderate-to-high-intensity physical activity per day.
The research team found that on days with high or moderate physical activity levels, participants’ average blood sugar levels were 1.5mg/dL and 1mg/dL lower, respectively, compared to inactive days. This reaffirms the correlation between moderate-to-high-intensity physical activity and blood sugar stability.
Furthermore, researchers observed that participants categorized as morning and mixed did not exhibit significant differences in blood sugar levels compared to inactive participants. However, evening participants who engaged in moderate-to-high-intensity physical activity showed an average blood sugar level of 1.28mg/dL lower than inactive participants.
They also noted that afternoon participants had an average blood sugar level of 0.98mg/dL lower than inactive participants, highlighting that evening exercise showed the strongest association with reduced blood sugar levels. In other words, the timing of exercise can influence blood sugar control, and engaging in more moderate-to-high-intensity exercise in the evening was the most effective in lowering blood sugar in overweight/obese adults with metabolic diseases. The impact of exercise timing on blood sugar control was particularly pronounced in participants with blood sugar control issues, and the results were consistent regardless of gender. Meanwhile, experts warned that while it is true that exercising in the evening is more beneficial for controlling blood sugar metabolism, it does not mean one should avoid or stop morning workouts. They advised that exercise offers numerous health benefits and is best whenever possible.
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