The Effects of Stair Stepping on Circadian Dependent Postprandial Glycemic Responses

Elevated levels of postprandial blood glucose (PBG) is related to Diabetes Mellitus which is associated with severe health complications. Bouts of stair stepping as little as one minute have shown to be effective at reducing PBG when performed in the morning. Studies have not yet investigated whether the effects of stair stepping on blood glucose translate to different times of day. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to test whether one minute of stair stepping at a comfortable pace can reduce blood sugar after meals. METHODS: 23 participants were asked to wear a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) over ten days. Participants performed a stair stepping bout (1 minute, 5 minute, 10 minute) 15 minutes after each meal on alternating days over 8 days. On non stair stepping days, participants were asked to not stair step. Participants were instructed to not perform any physical activity within an hour after each meal and to not vary their normal diet and physical activity. Blood glucose levels were recorded every 5 minutes via CGM. Diet and physical activity logs were collected to verify compliance. RESULTS: Blood glucose was not different between stair stepping compared to control condition (F (3, 59) = 1.072, p = 0.37) nor was there an effect found for meal (F (1.981, 110.0) = 2.248, p = 0.11) and between meal and condition(F (6, 111) = 0.6498, p = 0.69). The change in blood glucose from baseline to peak values (delta15min) showed no effect between conditions (F (3, 71) = 1.118, p = 0.35) nor meal (F (1.971, 132.1) = 0.3244, p = 0.72) nor between meal and condition (F (6, 134) = 1.050, p = 0.40). CONCLUSION: A single, very easy 1-minute bout of stair-stepping showed no reduction in peak postprandial blood glucose.