New Research Shows When To Exercise For Better Diabetes Control

Any reputable doctor will tell you that any kind of physical activity Is good for you, but one question does arise, and that is when is the best time to do your workout? 

According to Seattletimes.com,
‘But a major new review in the journal Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism found that the timing of exercise can, in some instances, meaningfully influence how that exercise affects us.
In the review, researchers analyzed the results of multiple past studies of morning versus later-day exercise on the metabolisms of healthy people and those with Type 2 diabetes, a common condition affecting as many as 38 million American adults in which the body becomes resistant to insulin, resulting in consistently high blood sugar levels.’ 

What we now know 

New studies show that different aspects of our bodies behave in different ways depending on when we exercise. This is especially important for people with type 2 diabetes.  

For that subset of people, exercising in the afternoon or early evening is much more beneficial and “tended to result in substantial and lasting improvements to blood sugar control.”  

Those same individuals exercising in the morning have a less beneficial outcome with increased blood sugar and impaired insulin responses. 

There are other variables involved including who you are and how you work out. One of the things that type of exercise impacts is your circadian rhythms. Typically that cycle adjusts itself whether it's light or dark outside, but it is also adjusted by mealtime and exercise. Our bodies take the cues and use them to adjust our physiology to adjust our internal clocks and help us kickstart our body's reactions. 

People with type 2 diabetes can often have these cycles disrupted and misaligned. For someone with “circadian misalignment” the time the exercise occurs matters. 

Studies found that middle-aged men with type 2 diabetes who exercised in the afternoon had significant improvements over exercising in the morning in terms of blood sugar and insulin sensitivity and that these benefits lasted up to 24 hours. 

The conclusion?  

Any exercise is better than no exercise at all, but if you're suffering from type 2 diabetes, you need to make sure that your exercise is in the afternoon or early evening. 

Right now, what is not clear is how the metabolisms of women and older adults respond to different exercise Patterns.