Walking After Eating Is a Science-Backed Way To Lose Weight, but Experts Say Timing Is Crucial
Walking after eating may feel like the last thing you want to do, but if weight loss is your goal, studies show that short strolls straight after meals could help you hit it.
Back in 2011, the International Journal of General Medicine compared the benefits of walking for 30 minutes straight after a meal to walking for 30 minutes starting one hour after eating. After just one month of the participants walking for 30-60 minutes straight after lunch and dinner, they had lost between 3 and 6 pounds.
The authors of the study attribute this to reducing spikes in blood sugar: "It is quite clear that walking suppresses the glucose increase after a meal," they write. "Because glucose increases to its maximum at 30–60 minutes after a meal, walking must be started before the glucose level reaches a maximum, because once insulin is secreted it will play a role as an obesity hormone. It can be assumed that starting walking as soon as possible seems to be optimal to control blood sugar levels."
It's worth noting that this particular experiment included only two subjects, but two larger studies on the benefits of walking immediately after eating, by balancing blood sugar levels, have since been published.
In 2020, the European Journal of Physiology analyzed 48 participants aged 18-65 and found that low- to moderate-intensity activity (including walking) "immediately following breakfast lowers postprandial glucose exposure and glucose variability, while pre-breakfast activity or delayed post-breakfast activity does not."
Three years later in 2023, the journal of Sports Medicine published a meta-analysis of eight trials with three interventions in 116 participants. It concluded that "exercise, such as 20 minutes of walking, has an acute beneficial impact on postprandial hyperglycemia [when glucose levels reach an abnormally high level] when undertaken as soon as possible after a meal." The authors added: "Longer intervals between eating and exercising weaken the acute effect on glucose levels."
So, how exactly does this work? We caught up with sports and exercise medicine consultant Rebecca Robinson MD to explain how walking after eating could help you improve your body composition or lose weight, and how long you should go for to reap the rewards.
Why is walking straight after eating better for weight loss than letting your meal digest before walking?
"Walking straight after a meal appears to be more effective at reducing both blood sugar (glucose) and the level of glucose in your interstitial fluid (the thin layer of fluid surrounding your body’s cells). If you don’t walk straight away, excess glucose in your bloodstream will be stored by insulin and may be stored as fat.
The contractions of your muscles during walking increase glucose uptake as the glucose is metabolized by your muscles for energy. This reduces the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. Digestion also uses glucose for energy, but walking boosts the total metabolic cost on your body after eating."
So, walking after eating is good for weight loss because it manages blood sugar levels, but are blood sugar spikes really that bad?
"Spikes in your blood sugar will naturally occur after eating. If a diet is high in refined sugar and high glycemic index carbohydrates, this can increase the amount of insulin needed to store the excess blood sugar, which you may not have. If you don’t have enough insulin and are then left with excess blood sugar levels, this may be stored as fat, and this type of fat is often stored in your abdominal area and around your organs, which can cause heightened inflammation and conditions like heart disease.
If these blood sugar spikes happen regularly over a prolonged period of time, your body becomes less responsive to high glucose spikes, which may lead to insulin resistance – a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
A blood sugar spike also often leads to a crash, whereby your sugar levels rise, and your insulin response rises to store glucose quickly. This can make you crave more high sugar food and an increased calorie intake, leading to weight gain.
Walking after a meal rich in sugars or refined carbohydrates can help reduce the amount of insulin needed and may reduce the amount of glucose that gets stored as fat."
How long should you walk for after eating, if weight loss is your goal?
"Keep exercise light to allow your body to digest your meal and avoid stomach cramps. Start with a little to build a sustainable habit that you can stick to. A moderate-paced 10-20-minute walk three-five times a week is likely to confer benefits."
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