Afternoon exercise tied to better blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes patients

May 25 (UPI) -- Afternoon exercise is better than morning exercise when it comes to managing blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Joslin Diabetes Center found type 2 diabetes patients who were physically active later in the day saw greater improvements in blood glucose control after one year, according to the study published Thursday in Diabetes Care.

Managing blood glucose levels is vital for those with type 2 diabetes who face an increased risk for heart disease, kidney disease and vision impairment.

"We've known that physical activity is beneficial, but what our study adds is a new understanding that timing of activity may be important too," co-corresponding author Dr. Jingyi Qian, from the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at the Brigham, said in a statement.

Researchers used physical activity data from the Look AHEAD, Action for Health in Diabetes, study which tracked the lifestyles of more than 2,400 type 2 diabetes patients and, in some cases, the development of cardiovascular disease over time.

In the current study, researchers used data from the first and fourth years to analyze the time of day those patients, who wore waist accelerometer recording devices, exercised.

"In this study, we show that adults with type 2 diabetes had the greatest improvement in glucose control when they were most active in the afternoon," Qian said.

When researchers reviewed data from the first year, they found those who engaged in moderate-to vigorous physical activity in the afternoon saw the greatest reduction in blood glucose levels compared to those who exercised during other times of the day.

Data from the fourth year showed the afternoon group maintained its reduced blood glucose levels and in some cases were able to stop taking their glucose-lowering or diabetes medications.

While the study focused on the timing of exercise, it did not consider other blood sugar factors such as sleep and diet.

"Timing does seem to matter," co-corresponding author Dr. Roeland Middelbeek, assistant investigator at Joslin Diabetes Center, said in a statement.

"Going forward, we may have more data and experimental evidence for patients to give more personalized recommendations."