The right time to run or otherwise carry out physical activity has always been an open debate. In reality, many experts agree that it is right to follow your biological clock. While larks (which tend to wake up early and go to bed early) are naturally predisposed to carry out morning training, Owls (who, on the other hand, stay late in the evening and prefer to wake up calmly), biologically prefer physical activity in the late afternoon or early evening.
Sports in the evening to lower blood sugar
However, moderate or vigorous intensity sport practiced in the evening seems to have a greater impact on the control of glycemia and may be an option for those who are diabetic or pre-diabetic. This is stated in a study published in the journal Obesity by a working group from the University of Granada led by Jonatan R. Ruiz, an expert from the Ciberobn center (Center for Biomedical Research Network Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition) in Spain. Physical activity, it is known, improves the body’s ability to regulate glucose (homeostasis), particularly in obese or overweight people who have a greater risk of developing insulin resistance, although few studies have investigated what the ‘right time.
How the study was carried out
To understand this, the experts recruited 186 adults with an average age of 46 and a body mass of 32.5. Participants’ physical activity and glucose patterns were monitored simultaneously over a period of 14 days using a accelerometer worn on the wrist and a glucose monitoring device. The researchers classified the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity performed each day. The categories identified were:
– inactive: no activity
– morning: if more than 50% of the minutes of physical activity were carried out between 6 am and midday
– afternoon: if more than 50% of the minutes of physical activity were performed between midday and 6pm
– evening: if more than 50% of the minutes of physical activity were carried out between 6pm and midnight
-mixed: none of the time windows described represented more than 50% of the moderate-intense activity for that day.
Sport as therapy
The researchers noted that concentrate Moderate to vigorous physical activity in the evening was associated with lower blood glucose levels daytime and nighttime versus being inactive in both men and women. This was the strongest association in participants with impaired glucose regulation. «As “medicine as therapy” with individualized exercise prescriptions for various chronic conditions becomes increasingly present, this study now provides further evidence to advise patients not only to move more, but also when to do so if the goal is to keep better blood sugar at bay” says Renee J. Rogers, senior scientist, University of Kansas Medical Center.
The previous study
It is not the first study that states that evening physical activity is the right choice to keep blood sugar at bay. In a study published in January 2023 in the journal Diabetes from the Dutch University of Leiden it emerged that running after 6pm helps keep blood sugar under control: important indication for those who run the risk of developing diabetes 2. According to researchers, the blood has less resistance to insulin, approximately 25% less compared to a morning workout (in the afternoon 18% less compared to the morning). In practice, with lower levels of insulin resistance, cells absorb glucose into the blood more easily, which translates into a lower risk of developing diabetes.
The danger of extra-sporting habits
However, studies of this kind often do not take extra-sporting habits into account. By carrying out physical activity in the evening you will tend to have dinner late, after training, but an absolutely certain fact in scientific literature is that Eating late carries an increased risk of adiposity, diabetes and metabolic problems . It is therefore absolutely recommended to eat before training and not after so as not to cancel out, if not worsen, the benefits of physical movement. However, the important thing is to move – all the experts agree – so if you are busy in the evening it is not a good excuse for not training: many other health-related benefits can be obtained at all hours.
