While it’s not advisable for us to start jumping up and down right after a meal, it’s not exactly wise to stay seated for long after either. According to a study published in the journal Diabetes Care, sitting down for prolonged periods of time can cause our glucose and insulin levels to remain high. To help reduce these levels, researchers recommend taking a break every 20 minutes.

As evidence, 19 overweight adults were asked to undergo three sets of experiments with each set kept a week or two apart from each other. In all three experiments, the premise remained the same. Participants were made to sit for seven hours. After the first two hours, they were made to drink a 763-calorie drink that was high in sugar. They were then made to sit for another five hours after. In the first experiment, the volunteers only took bathroom breaks. In the second experiment, they were allowed two minutes to walk around every 20 minutes. In the third experiment, they took similar breaks but performed more vigorous activities.

Results? When the participants only had short bathroom breaks, there was a spike in blood sugar within an hour of the drink from about 90 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) to about 144 mg/dl. Meanwhile, getting up every 20 minutes brought the levels from 90 mg/dl to only about 125 mg/dl. Basically, exerting oneself physically can cut the increase in glucose by 24 percent. The same results were more or less the same in insulin levels.

The rise in our body’s glucose and insulin levels is natural. After a meal, these levels rise and proceed to help our cells convert the blood sugar to energy or keep it in storage. Normally, the levels eventually subside, but for people who have diabetes 2, the process deviates. Sitting down obviously won’t help at all. To help reduce glucose and insulin levels after a meal, we can take breaks every 20 minutes or so to walk around and stretch our legs a bit.

For more on the benefits of walking, check these out on FN:

• New Study: Dog Owners Fitter Than People without Pets
• Walk It Out! 3 Tips for More Efficient Exercise while Walking
• New Study: 5 Minutes of Outdoor Activity Can Improve Mental Health

(Photo by lovestruck. via Flickr Creative Commons)