Light walking breaks can help manage blood sugar levels in Type 1 Diabetes

London, April 26: According to a recent study, prolonged periods of sitting can be harmful to one’s health, even if they exercise regularly. Researchers have found that light intensity walking for just three minutes every 30 minutes can help individuals with Type 1 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels.

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. The study suggests that taking short breaks from sitting time, also known as “activity snacking,” is a simple, cost-free way to reduce average blood sugar levels, compared to uninterrupted sitting. This may potentially reduce the risk of future complications.

“For people with type 1 diabetes, managing blood sugar levels day in and out is relentless. Being physically active is important in managing the condition, but building exercise into your daily routine can be challenging, and even those who exercise frequently can often spend a lot of time sitting or lying down,” said Dr Elizabeth Robertson, Director of Research at Diabetes UK.

Robertson suggested making simple, practical changes such as taking phone calls while walking or setting a timer to remind individuals to take breaks to avoid sitting for long periods.

Previous research has shown that breaking up periods of sitting with short, frequent walks can help people with Type 2 diabetes reduce their blood sugar levels and risk of complications. This is because being active can increase the amount of glucose (sugar) used by muscles and can help the body to use insulin more effectively.

However, until now, it was not known if people with Type 1 diabetes could experience the same benefits. To understand, the researchers recruited 32 participants and asked them to remain seated for a full seven hours during one session. During the other session, they broke up their sitting time with three-minute bouts of light-intensity walking every 30 minutes.

Participants wore a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to track their blood sugar levels for a 48-hour period during and after each sitting session. Regular walking breaks resulted in lower average blood sugar levels. Importantly, the breaks from sitting also did not increase low blood sugar levels, a common occurrence with more traditional types of physical activity and exercise.

“Breaking up prolonged sitting with light-intensity activity is something that people can do irrespective of whether they currently exercise or not. For some people, ‘activity snacking’ could be an important stepping-stone towards more regular physical activity or exercise, whereas for others, it may be a simple and acceptable intervention to help manage blood glucose levels,” said Dr Matthew Campbell at the University of Sunderland.