- “Sitting eating is as harmful as cigarettes”
Walking within an hour and 30 minutes following eating lowers blood sugar
US study: Walking for even a few minutes is effective
[리얼푸드=육성연 기자] Sitting right following eating and doing work or sitting on the sofa watching TV are normal everyday things. However, among them, there are common habits that need to be corrected immediately. It is ‘sitting’ immediately following eating.
Sitting still with high blood sugar following eating is fatal to blood sugar management. The Mayo Clinic, a prestigious US hospital with a world-renowned reputation, has warned that smoking is as detrimental as smoking can lead to premature death.
“It’s as harmful as cigarettes”… Sitting following a meal that causes various diseases
‘Being one with the chair’ following a meal can be considered a comfortable rest period, but it has a negative impact on health compared to smoking. “Long sedentary habits can lead to serious health problems and can even promote premature death from cardiovascular disease,” said James Levin, PhD, Mayo Clinic, on the Mayo Clinic site.
The comparison with smoking is not an exaggeration. In fact, the Institute for Health Analysis and Evaluation (IHME) of the University of Washington in the United States pointed out that ‘blood sugar’ is the number one factor (8.16%) that affects eating by eroding healthy lifespan through the international academic journal Lancet (2016). This is the result ahead of ‘Tobacco’ in second place. The research institute explained that the sugar and fat remaining in the blood vessels might not be used properly and might cause various vascular diseases as they float around in the blood.
Levin’s study at the Mayo Clinic found similar results. Those who sat for more than four hours a day watching TV had an 80% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who sat for less than two hours a day. In addition, if the high blood sugar state is maintained, ‘false’ hunger increases, eating unnecessary calories, and symptoms such as nausea and dehydration may appear in daily life.
“If you don’t move following a meal, the process of breaking down fat and sugar stops,” Lenin said.
Walk for a few minutes following eating… Sitting down breaks down fat and sugar ‘STOP’
The good news is that the solution is not that difficult given the seriousness of the problem. Another study found that walking for even a few minutes following a meal can help control blood sugar. According to researchers at the University of Limerick, Ireland, published in the journal Sports Medicine (2022), if you take a short walk of 5 to 10 minutes following eating, your muscles require energy to walk, and blood sugar levels that rise during this process falls off Moving your body following a meal will eventually force your body to use glucose more effectively. “Walking following eating is the easiest way to stay healthy,” the researchers said.
The optimal time for a light walk is 30 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes following a meal. If there is no space to walk freely, you can stand, walk in place, or use an indoor bicycle.
