A comparison of acute glycaemic responses to accumulated or single bout walking exercise in apparently healthy, insufficiently active adults

Abstract Objective To investigate the acute glyacaemic response to accumulated or single bout walking exercise in apparently healthy adults. Design Three arm, randomised crossover control study. Method Ten adults (age: 50 ± 12.6 y; BMI 29.0 ± 5.4 kg m-2) completed three separate trials comprising three 10-minute walking bouts after breakfast, lunch, and dinner (APPW), a single 30-minute walking bout after dinner only (CPPW), or a no-exercise control (NOEX). Participants walked on a treadmill at a moderate intensity of 55%-70% heart rate reserve. Two-hour postprandial glucose response was assessed using a continuous glucose monitor. Results There was a difference in the pattern of the glucose response between the trials during the two hours following dinner (p  Conclusion Ten minutes of moderate intensity walking completed 30 minutes after each meal lowers postprandial dinner glucose concentrations in comparison to no-exercise, and reduces glucose by a similar magnitude as a single 30-minute bout after the evening meal. Short bouts of exercise after each meal may be recommended to minimise glucose elevations after dinner that might increase risk of cardiometabolic disease.