Prediabetes: exercising in the afternoon or evening would be more beneficial than in the morning

The morning jog would not necessarily be the most appropriate to stay in shape and fight against overweight and diabetes. Dutch researchers have just published a new study which, against all odds, is in favor of practical exercise in the afternoon or evening, in particular to control blood sugar. Thus, exercise performed between noon and midnight could significantly reduce insulin resistance compared to more morning activity. Information that should be of interest to people with diabetes or prediabetes. “Our aim was to investigate associations between timing of physical activity and breaks in sedentary time with liver fat content and insulin resistance in a middle-aged population” determined Jeroen van der Velde, lead author of the study in the lines of the review Healthline. Their finding was published Nov. 1 in the scientific journal Diabetology.

A study conducted on an overweight population

The team analyzed data from a Dutch study on the epidemiology of obesity that included men and women aged 45 and 65 who were overweight or obese. They then invited all residents of the same age with a BMI representative of the general population of a municipality in the Netherlands as a control group, to obtain a study population of nearly 6,700 people. All participants underwent a physical examination as well as fasting and post-eating blood glucose and insulin levels. They were also asked about their lifestyle.

A random sample of 955 participants received a combined accelerometer and heart rate monitor to use for four consecutive days and nights to monitor their movement and activity. The day was thus divided into three studied periods:

• 6 a.m. to 12 p.m.;
• 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.;
• 6 p.m. to midnight.

Exercise in the evening: best timing to reduce insulin resistance

The approach to exercise by time slot did indeed reveal differences. The researchers found that compared to spreading activity throughout the day, exercising in the afternoon was linked to an 18% reduction in insulin resistance and doing it in the evening with a reduction of up to 25%. That’s not all: time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity reduced both liver fat content and insulin resistance. This is therefore equivalent to doing sports rather at the end of the day, and choosing a moderate to vigorous activity such as brisk walking and cycling in particular.

What is insulin resistance?

Why is studying insulin resistance, as this study shows, so important? Because insulin resistance is considered today as a prediabetic state.

Inserm explains it in one of its research: “The regulation of the concentration of glucose in the blood is dependent on insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas. This hormone is said to be hypoglycemic: it promotes the storage of glucose circulating in muscle, fat and liver cells and, on the other hand, inhibits the synthesis and “release” of this sugar from stored reserves. In diabetics, these cells respond less well to insulin. We are talking about insulin resistance.”

The phenomenon is often of interest to researchers because it appears very early in the course of diabetes: if glucose cannot penetrate the cells, blood sugar remains high, which leads to type 2 diabetes. overweight or obese people are most at risk for insulin resistance. Finding the best way to reduce insulin resistance on a daily basis is therefore an important action in the fight against diabetes and obesity, and to this end, sport and physical activity remain the best tools available.

However, should we all start running in the evening when we get home from work? According to the study, the conclusions still need to be refined. “For now, I think we should wait for future studies to translate our results into clinical messages” concludes the author.