Walking for five minutes every half hour changed glucose levels

A randomized crossover trial published in 2023 compared five eight-hour days in eleven sedentary adults. Only walking for five minutes every thirty minutes significantly reduced the cumulative glucose response and lowered systolic blood pressure by 4.3 mmHg compared with remaining seated.

Andrea T. Duran, Keith M. Diaz and their team tested four breaks: one or five minutes of walking every thirty or sixty minutes. The walking was light, on a treadmill at 3.2 km/h with no incline. Breakfast and lunch were served; a sensor recorded glucose every fifteen minutes, and blood pressure was measured every hour.

The participants' average age was 57. Nine people completed all five visits; two provided partial data when the pandemic interrupted the study, which had aimed to recruit 17 participants.

Every schedule lowered systolic blood pressure; none significantly changed diastolic pressure. For glucose, the five-minute break every half hour was the only one of the four to produce a statistically significant improvement.

The experiment measured an acute response in a laboratory, not lasting effects or disease prevention. Use it as a cue to move, not as a medical prescription built from eleven people and eight hours.