There are very few groups of people for whom exercise is not a healthy prescription. For myriad reasons, diabetics and/or those who have insulin resistance, (and may therefore be on their way to contracting diabetes,) stand to gain even more health benefits from regular exercise. And, of course, you know that what you eat is important, too. But what may come as news to you is that what you eat directly after exercise matters quite a lot. That was the intriguing conclusion of a study done at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. I called senior author Jeffrey F. Horowitz, PhD, for details.
Eat to Improve Insulin Sensitivity
This study measured the effect of exercise and post-exercise meals on insulin sensitivity. Dr. Horowitz and his team asked nine healthy, sedentary, non-obese men to each participate in four separate experimental trials on different days. During three of these trials, the subjects exercised on a treadmill and stationary bicycle for 90 minutes, then ate different types of meals throughout that day, as follows:
- Daily meals were calibrated to replace the calories and the nutrients expended during exercise.
- Daily meals replaced the calories expended during exercise and were low in carbohydrates (about half the carb level of the other meals in the study).
- Daily meals replaced the carbohydrates expended during exercise and were lower in calories (about 25% less than the other meals).
- The subjects also participated in a non-exercise “control” trial where they simply ate meals to replace their daily calorie expenditure.
The morning after each session (22 hours after the last meal), researchers tested each subject’s metabolic activities, including a blood test for insulin sensitivity. They found that all three exercise sessions improved insulin sensitivity, but the effect was most pronounced when the men had eaten lower-carbohydrate meals after exercise. These results were published in the December 31, 2009, issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Fewer Carbs = Better Metabolism
Eating different types of food after exercise produces different effects on the body’s metabolism, Dr. Horowitz explains, noting that even a modest cutback in carbohydrate rich foods can help.
To apply these findings, there’s no need to go to extremes; just don’t wolf down a plate of pasta after your workout! And, as always, to achieve maximum fitness and/or weight loss, regular, consistent exercise is a must. Dr. Horowitz and his team are now working with obese individuals to identify the minimum level of exercise that will improve insulin sensitivity that extends into the next day.
Jeffrey F. Horowitz, PhD, associate professor, department of movement science, School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
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