Enjoy This “Snack” Before a Meal

Lifestyle – and particularly, routine physical activity – is linked to blood sugar control, among people with insulin resistance (a precursor to diabetes).  Monique E. Francois, from the University of Otago (New Zealand), and colleagues studied two women and seven men diagnosed with insulin resistance. Two of the participants had type 2 diabetes, but none were taking medication for diabetes or blood sugar control. The participants completed three separate one-day exercise programs in a random order. The exercise snacks program involved short bouts of intense exercise on a treadmill before breakfast, lunch and dinner. The composite exercise snacks regimen was similar, but included some resistance exercises alternating with walking. The traditional continuous exercise program consisted of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity walking before dinner only. Meal timing and composition were the same during the three days. The researchers found that the exercise snacks and composite exercise snacks routines controlled blood sugar more effectively than the continuous exercise routine. Specifically, there was a 17% reduction in glucose levels over the three hours following breakfast and a 13% reduction in glucose levels after dinner on the exercise snack days compared to the continuous exercise days.  Across the day this represented a 12% reduction in average post-meal blood glucose levels.  The study authors conclude that: “Dosing exercise as brief, intense ‘exercise snacks’ before main meals is a time-efficient and effective approach to improve glycaemic control in individuals with insulin resistance.”