Want to control your blood sugar? Here’s the best time of day for exercise.

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🗞️ Driving the news: A new review published in Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism suggests that the timing of exercise can influence blood sugar control, particularly for people with Type 2 diabetes

🔭 The context: Researchers analyzed multiple studies comparing morning versus afternoon exercise and how the body’s metabolism responds at different times of day
• The analysis shows that biological processes, including hormones, cellular clocks, and gene activity, change throughout the day, shaping how the body processes glucose during physical activity
• For people with Type 2 diabetes, afternoon or evening exercise often produced more stable and lasting reductions in blood sugar, sometimes lasting up to 24 hours
• Morning workouts, particularly intense ones, sometimes led to temporary increases in blood sugar due to the body’s “dawn phenomenon,” when cortisol levels rise and the liver releases stored glucose

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Promoting effective exercise strategies for chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes can reduce long-term pressure on healthcare systems and pharmaceutical demand
• Preventive health strategies, such as optimized physical activity, support lower medical resource consumption, reduced healthcare infrastructure demand, and more sustainable public health systems, which indirectly reduces environmental impacts linked to healthcare operations

⏭️ What’s next: Scientists say more research is needed, particularly involving women, older adults, and long-term health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, sleep, and longevity
• Future studies may also explore how exercise timing interacts with circadian rhythms and metabolic disorder

📈 One stat: About 38 million adults in the United States live with Type 2 diabetes, making it one of the most common metabolic diseases worldwide

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