Luke Andrews, Senior Health Reporter, Dailymail.Com
Updated June 20, 2024 at 19:45 and June 20, 2024 at 19:46
It’s an age-old debate: what is the best time of day to exercise?
But now, an intriguing new study seems to have answered the question.
Spanish researchers found that people who exercised, such as running or cycling, at 6 p.m. had lower blood sugar levels than those who exercised in the morning.
The scientists argued that this suggests that people who exercise slower have a more active metabolism and are better able to resist hunger pangs.
This means people will burn more calories and expend less energy during the day, the researchers suggested.
Research has shown that muscle cells are typically less able to absorb blood sugar in the evening because insulin levels drop at this time of day.
But exercising in the evening increases insulin levels, making it easier for cells to absorb sugar from the bloodstream and burn it for energy.
In the study, researchers followed 186 Spanish adults in their 40s, most of whom were obese, for two weeks.
Each participant was fitted with an accelerometer to track movement and a continuous glucose monitor to track blood glucose levels.
Exercise times were split between 6am and 12pm, 12pm and 6pm, or 6pm and 12am in the evening.
The researchers then compared the blood sugar levels of sedentary participants who had not exercised for a day with those who had exercised at different times of the day.
Dr Antonio Clavero-Gimeno, a sports scientist at the University of Granada in Spain, and his colleagues wrote in the study:[Exercise] in the evening [blood sugar] In sedentary adults with obesity.
The study was conducted only on obese and overweight people, so it’s unclear whether the results apply to people at a healthy weight.
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But this follows the findings of other studies which have suggested that evening exercise is best for weight loss.
A study from the University of Sydney in Australia found that obese people who exercised after 6 p.m. had about a 36 percent lower risk of heart disease.
Those who exercised before this time saw only half the benefit, being 17 percent less likely to develop the disease.
Another study conducted in Germany in 2022 on 5,000 overweight or obese people also found that those who exercised in the evening saw a reduction in insulin resistance of up to 25%.
Some weight loss studies suggest that exercising in the morning is best for weight loss.
These are based on data showing that people who exercise at this time of day tend to be thinner than those who exercise in the evening.
But these don’t take into account other factors, such as the fact that health-conscious people are more likely to start their day with exercise.
Doctors say any amount of exercise, at any time of day, can help obese people lose weight, as long as they don’t consume excess calories.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says everyone should exercise for at least 150 minutes each week.