When we’re sedentary, our digestion and motility can become sluggish. Walking encourages peristalsis — the constriction and relaxation of the intestinal muscles that push the contents forward.
In Italy, an evening walk — la passeggiata — for better digestion is a cultural tradition. And it doesn’t “involve pedometers or spandex; these walks are purely for pleasure,” explains endocrinologist David Ludwig, MD, PhD.
A light walk after lunch or dinner — even as little as two to five minutes — significantly moderated blood-sugar levels in participants with or without type 2 diabetes.
This walk can also help lower insulin levels, he adds. A 2013 study in Diabetes Care found that three 15-minute walks daily helped older people at risk for impaired glucose tolerance increase their ability to regulate blood sugar for the following 24 hours.
And a 2022 meta-analysis of seven studies in Sports Medicine discovered that a light walk after lunch or dinner — even as little as two to five minutes — significantly moderated blood-sugar levels in participants with or without type 2 diabetes.
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