Once upon a time, people routinely took a short walk after a meal. That old tradition should make a comeback according to a study released today in the journal Diabetes Care. It found that a 15-minute, moderate speed walk about 30 minutes after eating exerts significant control over the high blood sugar of older people.
That’s important because blood sugar spikes after meals. In young, fit, people, insulin helps drive that sugar, glucose, into muscle cells and the liver where it’s stored for energy. This system becomes less efficient as we age, explained the study’s leader, Loretta DiPietro of the Department of Exercise Science at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services.
Leaving too much glucose in the blood can not only lead to type 2 diabetes, but cardiovascular damage.
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