Kids’ blood sugar improves with short walks: study
Getting off the couch to walk for as little as three minutes during TV commercial breaks or between classes can improve children's blood sugar, according to a new study.
"Interrupting a long period of sitting with a few minutes of moderate activity can have short-term benefits on a child's metabolism," says senior author, Jack A. Yanovski, MD, PhD, of the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
Even children are at risk of developing obesity and diabetes as a result of too much time spent sedentary say the researchers.
"While we know getting 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity exercise each day improves children's health and metabolism, small behavioral changes like taking short walking breaks can also yield some benefits," says Dr. Yanovski.
Working with 28 children between the ages of 7 and 11, all of who were of normal weight, the researchers asked them to drink a sugar-sweetened drink and sit continuously for three hours on two different days.
On one of those days, they were asked to take three-minute breaks to walk on a treadmill every half hour and on the other, they remained sitting.
All participants' blood sugar levels were tested before and after the three hours, on both trials.
Taking short walking breaks lowered blood sugar compared to remaining seated, according to results that indicate interrupting sitting helps the body to maintain blood sugar levels.
"Sustained sedentary behavior after a meal diminishes the muscles' ability to help clear sugar from the bloodstream," says first author, Britni Belcher, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute.
Prolonged sitting provokes the production of insulin, which creates potential for cell dysfunction that promotes the onset of type 2 diabetes, says Dr. Belcher.
The walks had no effect on the children's appetites, for they were served a buffet meal after blood sugar testing and they selected similar portions and types of food on both days.
The study was published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
