How does walking help lower blood sugar?
Medical experts say that with just 45 minutes of walking a day, people with type 2 diabetes or at high risk can significantly improve their blood sugar level, while improving their physical and mental health.
According to indianexpress, Dr. Manisha Arora - Director of Internal Medicine at CK Birla Hospital (Delhi) - shows that walking helps increase glucose absorption into the muscles, reducing blood sugar levels. At the same time, this activity improves the ability to respond to insulin, a hormone that helps transport sugar from the blood to cells.
Walking also improves insulin signaling pathways, allowing glucose to enter cells more efficiently, says Arora.
In the same vein, Dr Rajiv Kovil - a diabetes specialist at Zandra Healthcare (India) - also affirmed that walking, even at a moderate intensity, can promote muscles to absorb glucose without the need for insulin. This is especially helpful for people with insulin resistance.
Walking after eating and its obvious benefits
A small but effective tip is to walk after meals, especially dinner. According to Dr. Kovil, just a 1520 minute walk after eating can significantly reduce blood sugar spikes, which are phenomena in which blood sugar spikes after eating. In addition, walking also helps control weight and reduce belly fat, which is an important factor in controlling diabetes.
Lossing only 5 10% of your body weight also significantly improves blood sugar control and reduces visceral fat, which is a cause of insulin resistance, Mr. Kovil added.
Comprehensive benefits beyond blood sugar control
Not only good for people with diabetes, walking 45 minutes a day also helps reduce stress, improve sleep, improve spirit and reduce the risk of diseases such as osteoporosis or dementia.
Endorphin secreted when walking helps reduce anxiety, create a feeling of well-being, and indirectly contribute to better blood sugar control, explains Dr. Arora.
Walk properly: moderate speed and maintain regularity
According to experts, you should walk at a pace where you can still chat but can't sing. Regularity is more important than speed, which means maintaining a daily routine will bring greater results than heavy exercise in a short time.
