New Delhi, February 13 Lifting and lowering heels, or soleus push-ups, while sitting may reduce post-meal blood sugar spikes by up to 52 percent and insulin response by 60 percent during oral glucose tolerance tests, according to a review of previously published studies.
Performing passive stretching exercises for 40 minutes acutely lowered blood glucose by up to 28 milligrams per deciliter, persistently improves blood flow to the femur or thigh by 30 percent, findings published in the journal Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research and Reviews show.
Researchers, including those from New Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals and Fortis-C-DOC Centre for Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology, said the study highlights practical, low-cost exercise options for preventing and managing diabetes among the sedentary, elderly, or those with limited mobility.
A moderate lower-body strength is associated with up to 35 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, the authors said.
"Lower-body (simple resistance activities, soleus push-ups, and stretching exercises) are simple interventions that can be performed while seated and have the potential to significantly improve glucose regulation, insulin sensitivity, and vascular function in populations unable to engage in traditional weight-bearing aerobic exercise," they wrote.
Incorporating these interventions into clinical practice could provide cost-effective tools for preventing and managing diabetes, the team said.
Skeletal muscle accounts for 40-50 percent of body mass and is a major site of insulin-mediated glucose uptake, the researchers said.
Lower-body skeletal muscles – specifically the thighs, gluteal muscles, and calves – are the largest muscle groups and function as potent metabolic sinks, improving insulin sensitivity and glycemic regulation, they added.
However, the effects of exercise on these muscle groups remain understudied, the team said.
The researchers analysed previously published studies to look at how activating lower-body skeletal muscles may be a metabolic driver for improvements in blood glucose and vascular health, suitable for those who cannot perform weight-bearing aerobic exercises.