Walking Attenuates Postprandial Glycemic Response: What Else Can We Do without Leaving Home or the Office?

Figures

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  Figure 1. Schematic representation of the two studies. Participants consumed a meal consisting of 1 g of CHO per kg of body weight at the beginning of each visit in both studies. In Study 1, participants performed 30 min of walking (WALK), bench stepping (STEP) or isometric wall squat (SQUAT). In Study 2, participants performed 30 min of walking (WALK), passive neuromuscular electrical stimulation (P_NMES), or NMES superimposed on voluntary muscle contraction (VC_NMES). After the 30 min of exercise, participants remained seated for the remaining experimental period. The exercise sessions in both studies were compared to a control condition (CON), during which participants of each study remained seated for the whole experimental period. Every 3 min during the exercise sessions, the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) for discomfort were evaluated. At the end of the exercise, the Category Ratio 10 (CR10) and the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale questionnaire (PACES) were also used to assess perceived exertion and enjoyment of the exercise session. Glucose was regularly measured throughout the experimental period.

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  Figure 2. Glucose response over time (a) and time-averaged glucose iAUC at 0–60 h (b), 0–120 h (c), 0–180 h, and (d) after the meal, for Study 1. Symbols: *, p < 0.05 vs. CON; #, p < 0.05 vs. WALK; §, p < 0.05 vs. SQUAT; ‡, p < 0.05 vs. STEP. Values are reported as mean (± SEM).

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  Figure 3. Rate of perceived exertion (6–20 RPE) during exercise, for Study 1. Symbols: #, p < 0.05 vs. WALK; ‡, p < 0.05 vs. STEP. Values are reported as mean (± SEM).

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  Figure 4. Glucose response over time (a) and time-averaged glucose iAUC at 0–60 h (b), 0–120 h (c), 0–180 h, and (d) after the meal for Study 2. Symbols: *, p < 0.05 vs. CON; #, p < 0.05 vs. WALK; †, p < 0.05 vs. P_NMES; ¥, p < 0.05 vs. VC_NMES. Values are reported as mean (± SEM).

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  Figure 5. Rate of perceived exertion (6–20 RPE) (a) and visual analog scale (VAS) for discomfort (b) during exercise, for Study 2. Symbols: ł, the main effect of conditions (p < 0.05). Values are reported as mean (± SEM).