This week, Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Aundrea Loftley about the health benefits of taking a brief walk after eating. Dr. Loftley is an Associate Professor of Medicine and an endocrinologist at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. A short walk after a meal can help blood sugar levels rise and fall more gradually. This routine provides health benefits for the general population and also for people with diabetes and prediabetes. Doctor Dr. Aundrea Loftley is here to talk about the details. Doctor Dr. Loftley is an Associate Professor of Medicine and she's an endocrinologist at MUSC. Doctor Loftley, tell us more details about the benefits of walking, even just for a few minutes within 60 to 90 minutes after eating a meal.
Dr. Loftley: You know, some of the benefits that I think about are related to digestion. So improved digestion is certainly a benefit. Lowering blood pressure, lowering blood sugar levels, and lowering cholesterol levels are all benefits. And each of those things translates into a reduced heart disease risk. So, maintaining a healthy metabolism and weight loss are also two things that I should mention, and they’re certainly benefits of walking after you eat.
Conner: How much walking time is really needed for these types of health benefits?
Dr. Loftley: So not as much as you may think. You know, walking for as little as ten minutes after eating a main meal can result in positive health benefits, including lowering blood sugar levels. And the American Heart Association and the US Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week. So if you walk ten minutes after each main meal, that's about 30 minutes a day. Do this five days a week and you've done it :150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week.
Conner: And when it comes to blood sugar, a short walk ,like ten minutes after a main meal, what really is going on to help us adjust our blood sugar somewhat after walking like this.
Dr. Loftley: Moving your body by engaging in a meaningful form of exercise, such as brisk walking after you eat, helps your body to break down carbohydrates, and this helps prevent large spikes in blood sugar levels following that meal.
Conner: And why is this short, brisk walking routine after eating especially important for people with diabetes or prediabetes?
Dr. Loftley: This is so important for those with type one and type two diabetes, and can ultimately translate into using the lowest effective dose of insulin to cover meals in type one diabetes. And in the case of type two diabetes, we can reduce or in some cases eliminate the need for medications. For those with prediabetes, this can mean reducing the risk of actually developing type two diabetes.
Conner: And you've mentioned after main meals, is this sort of a routine that we should try to incorporate three times a day for the best benefit? Are we still getting some benefit if this is just a routine after dinner or at lunch? What's our best approach here?
Dr. Loftley: Yeah, so certainly there is benefit to any amount of time that you can engage in meaningful exercise, but there is evidence to show that walking for ten minutes after eating your three main daily meals is more effective at lowering blood sugar levels than walking for 30 minutes at one time.
Conner: Doctor Loftley, thanks for this update about the benefits of a brief walk after eating.
Dr. Loftley: You're welcome.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
