The Brief Way to Better Blood Sugar

Turns out short and sweet could be a good strategy when it comes to reducing your risk of blood sugar problems like diabetes.

If we're talking about exercise, that is. Men in a small study who added short, intense bursts of activity to mini workouts seemed better able to metabolize sugars.

Short, Fast, and Furious
Here's how the study worked. Each man worked out on a stationary bike three times a week for a minimum of 17 minutes per session. Sounds pretty doable. Then, during the sessions, they threw in a handful of 30-second bursts of high-intensity cycling. Again, not too taxing. After the bursts, they rested or cycled slowly for 4 minutes. Even better! The result? When the men were given the equivalent of a meal's worth of glucose at the end of the study, their bodies metabolized it better than before the study. (Here's another activity you should do less of -- for better blood sugar control.)

Just a Little Helps a Lot
Researchers suspect that bursts of intensity during workouts elicit stronger contractions and therefore more glucose uptake in the large muscles attached to bones. But high-intensity cardio isn't the only type of exercise that can impact blood sugar. Here's another type that may help control it.

Think you may be at risk for diabetes? Find out with this quick tool.

Extremely short duration high intensity interval training substantially improves insulin action in young healthy males. Babraj, J. A. et al., BMC Endocrine Disorders 2009 Jan 28;9:3.