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Evidence suggests Walking maydecreaseInsulin levels.
17 studies (33 claims)
Conflicting evidence
Typical effective dose 80 (65–80) %across 3 dosed studies
Study Claims
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Type | Population | Dosage | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks of controlled cycling and walking training at 80% individual Vo2 peak | No effect - could not improve | insulin sensitivity | HumanMolecular | a substantial number of people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes | Training at 80% individual Vo2 peak (specific frequency not mentioned). | TGF-β Contributes to Impaired Exercise Response by Suppression of Mitochondrial Key Regulators in Skeletal Muscle.cited 60× |
| 8 weeks of controlled cycling and walking training at 80% individual Vo2 peak | No effect - the failure to increase | insulin sensitivity after training | HumanMolecular | nonresponders in insulin sensitivity (based on the Matsuda index) | Training at 80% individual Vo2 peak (specific frequency not mentioned). | TGF-β Contributes to Impaired Exercise Response by Suppression of Mitochondrial Key Regulators in Skeletal Muscle.cited 60× |
| breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of walking | Decreases - reduced | insulin iAUC | Human | overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes | 5-minute bouts of walking at a self-perceived light intensity every 30 minutes. | Breaking Up Prolonged Sitting With Standing or Walking Attenuates the Postprandial Metabolic Response in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Acute Study.cited 184× |
| breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of walking | Decreases - persisted into the following day | insulin response | Human | overweight/obese, dysglycemic, postmenopausal women at high risk of type 2 diabetes | 5-minute bouts of walking at a self-perceived light intensity every 30 minutes. | Breaking Up Prolonged Sitting With Standing or Walking Attenuates the Postprandial Metabolic Response in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Acute Study.cited 184× |
| 30-min moderate-intensity walking bout followed by 15-min standing bouts every 30 min during 8.5 h of sitting (MVPA + STAND) | Decreases - was lower | Cumulative postprandial insulin response | Human | physically inactive healthy adult males | 30-minute moderate-intensity walking bout | Intermittent Standing but not a Moderate Exercise Bout Reduces Postprandial Glycemia.cited 21× |
| 30-min moderate-intensity walking bout followed by 15-min standing bouts every 30 min during 8.5 h of sitting (MVPA + STAND) | Decreases - decreases | postprandial insulin after breakfast on day 1 | Human | physically inactive healthy adult males | 30-minute moderate-intensity walking bout | Intermittent Standing but not a Moderate Exercise Bout Reduces Postprandial Glycemia.cited 21× |
| 30-min moderate-intensity walking bout followed by 8.5 h of sitting (MVPA) | Decreases - was lower | Cumulative postprandial insulin response | Human | physically inactive healthy adult males | 30-minute moderate-intensity walking bout | Intermittent Standing but not a Moderate Exercise Bout Reduces Postprandial Glycemia.cited 21× |
| 30-min moderate-intensity walking bout followed by 8.5 h of sitting (MVPA) | Decreases - decreases | postprandial insulin after breakfast on day 1 | Human | physically inactive healthy adult males | 30-minute moderate-intensity walking bout | Intermittent Standing but not a Moderate Exercise Bout Reduces Postprandial Glycemia.cited 21× |
| hypoenergetic diet (DI) and walking program | Decreases - significantly reduced | homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index | Human | overweight and obese participants | 2.5 hours of walking per week. | Moderate Walking Enhances the Effects of an Energy-Restricted Diet on Fat Mass Loss and Serum Insulin in Overweight and Obese Adults in a 12-Week Randomized Controlled Trial.cited 11× |
| hypoenergetic diet (DI) and walking program | Decreases - significantly reduced | insulin | Human | overweight and obese participants | 2.5 hours of walking per week. | Moderate Walking Enhances the Effects of an Energy-Restricted Diet on Fat Mass Loss and Serum Insulin in Overweight and Obese Adults in a 12-Week Randomized Controlled Trial.cited 11× |
| energy expenditure-matched continuous walking training (CWT) | No effect - no changes | insulin sensitivity | Human | individuals with type 2 diabetes | Five sessions per week (60 min/session). | Mechanisms behind the superior effects of interval vs continuous training on glycaemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial.cited 60× |
| interval walking training (IWT) | No effect - maintains | insulin secretion | Human | individuals with type 2 diabetes | Five sessions per week (60 min/session). | Mechanisms behind the superior effects of interval vs continuous training on glycaemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial.cited 60× |
| interval walking training (IWT) | No effect - no changes | insulin secretion during arginine injection | Human | individuals with type 2 diabetes | Five sessions per week (60 min/session). | Mechanisms behind the superior effects of interval vs continuous training on glycaemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial.cited 60× |
| interval walking training (IWT) | No effect - no changes | insulin secretion during hyperglycaemia alone | Human | individuals with type 2 diabetes | Five sessions per week (60 min/session). | Mechanisms behind the superior effects of interval vs continuous training on glycaemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial.cited 60× |
| interval walking training (IWT) | No effect - no changes | insulin secretion during hyperglycaemia + glucagon-like peptide 1 infusion | Human | individuals with type 2 diabetes | Five sessions per week (60 min/session). | Mechanisms behind the superior effects of interval vs continuous training on glycaemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial.cited 60× |
| interval walking training (IWT) | Increases - improves | insulin sensitivity | Human | individuals with type 2 diabetes | Five sessions per week (60 min/session). | Mechanisms behind the superior effects of interval vs continuous training on glycaemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial.cited 60× |
| interval walking training (IWT) | Increases - increased | insulin sensitivity index | Human | individuals with type 2 diabetes | Five sessions per week (60 min/session). | Mechanisms behind the superior effects of interval vs continuous training on glycaemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial.cited 60× |
| interval walking training (IWT) | Increases - improved | insulin signalling in skeletal muscle | Human | individuals with type 2 diabetes | Five sessions per week (60 min/session). | Mechanisms behind the superior effects of interval vs continuous training on glycaemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial.cited 60× |
| interval walking training (IWT) | Increases - increased | insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of AS160 | Human | individuals with type 2 diabetes | Five sessions per week (60 min/session). | Mechanisms behind the superior effects of interval vs continuous training on glycaemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial.cited 60× |
| replacing sitting time by standing and walking | Increases - resulted in improved | peripheral insulin sensitivity | Human | overweight women | Sitting less regimen: standing 4 h/day and walking 3 h/day | Sitting less elicits metabolic responses similar to exercise and enhances insulin sensitivity in postmenopausal women.cited 18× |
| walking alone | No effect - not significantly improved | peripheral insulin sensitivity (measured by the Cederholm index) | Human | individuals with prediabetes | HIIT (3 × 20-second cycle sprints, 3 times weekly) + walking (>10,000 steps/day) or walking alone. | High-intensity interval training improves insulin sensitivity in individuals with prediabetes. |
| walking alone | Increases - significantly increased | whole-body insulin sensitivity (measured by the Matsuda index) | Human | individuals with prediabetes | HIIT (3 × 20-second cycle sprints, 3 times weekly) + walking (>10,000 steps/day) or walking alone. | High-intensity interval training improves insulin sensitivity in individuals with prediabetes. |
| HIIT + walking | Increases - significantly improved | peripheral insulin sensitivity (measured by the Cederholm index) | Human | individuals with prediabetes | HIIT (3 × 20-second cycle sprints, 3 times weekly) + walking (>10,000 steps/day) or walking alone. | High-intensity interval training improves insulin sensitivity in individuals with prediabetes. |
| HIIT + walking | Increases - significantly increased | whole-body insulin sensitivity (measured by the Matsuda index) | Human | individuals with prediabetes | HIIT (3 × 20-second cycle sprints, 3 times weekly) + walking (>10,000 steps/day) or walking alone. | High-intensity interval training improves insulin sensitivity in individuals with prediabetes. |
| low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) plus walking | Decreases - reduced | insulin resistance | Human | prostate cancer (PCa) patients initiating ADT | ≤20g carbohydrate/day plus walking (≥30 min for ≥5 days/week). | A lifestyle intervention of weight loss via a low-carbohydrate diet plus walking to reduce metabolic disturbances caused by androgen deprivation therapy among prostate cancer patients: carbohydrate and prostate study 1 (CAPS1) randomized controlled trial.cited 48× |
| walking exercise with simultaneous HTS | No effect - compared the effect | insulin resistance | Human | subjects with NAFLD | Triweekly 30-minute sessions of walking at 5.6 km/h with HTS. | The Effect of Walking Combined with Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Liver Stiffness and Insulin Resistance in Patients with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial.cited 3× |
| walking exercise without HTS | No effect - compared the effect | insulin resistance | Human | subjects with NAFLD | Triweekly 30-minute sessions of walking at 5.6 km/h with HTS. | The Effect of Walking Combined with Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Liver Stiffness and Insulin Resistance in Patients with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial.cited 3× |
| interrupting sitting with short bouts of moderate-intensity walking | Decreases - would decrease | insulin area under the curve (AUC) during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) | Human | children with overweight or obesity | 3 minutes of moderate-intensity walking (at 80% of ventilatory threshold) every 30 minutes for 3 hours. | Effects of Interrupting Sedentary Behavior With Short Bouts of Moderate Physical Activity on Glucose Tolerance in Children With Overweight and Obesity: A Randomized Crossover Trial.cited 32× |
| 16-week walking program | No effect - examined the potential relationship | insulin resistance (IR: homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)) | Human | 29 physically inactive pre- and postmenopausal women with obesity (BMI, 29-35 kg/m²) | Not specified | The relationship between adiposopathy and glucose-insulin homeostasis is not affected by moderate-intensity aerobic training in healthy women with obesity.cited 6× |
| 16-week walking program | No effect - examined the potential relationship | insulin response to an oral glucose tolerance test | Human | 29 physically inactive pre- and postmenopausal women with obesity (BMI, 29-35 kg/m²) | Not specified | The relationship between adiposopathy and glucose-insulin homeostasis is not affected by moderate-intensity aerobic training in healthy women with obesity.cited 6× |
| 16-week walking program | No effect - examined the potential relationship | insulin sensitivity (IS: Matsuda) | Human | 29 physically inactive pre- and postmenopausal women with obesity (BMI, 29-35 kg/m²) | Not specified | The relationship between adiposopathy and glucose-insulin homeostasis is not affected by moderate-intensity aerobic training in healthy women with obesity.cited 6× |
| walking initiated 20 min before the PPGP (20iP) | Decreases - reduced | 4-h incremental AUCs (iAUCs) for plasma insulin | Human | overweight or obese young men | Walking at 50% maximal oxygen consumption for 30 minutes. | Walking Initiated 20 Minutes before the Time of Individual Postprandial Glucose Peak Reduces the Glucose Response in Young Men with Overweight or Obesity: A Randomized Crossover Study.cited 11× |
| walking initiated 20 min before the PPGP (20iP) | Decreases - lower | plasma insulin | Human | overweight or obese young men | Walking at 50% maximal oxygen consumption for 30 minutes. | Walking Initiated 20 Minutes before the Time of Individual Postprandial Glucose Peak Reduces the Glucose Response in Young Men with Overweight or Obesity: A Randomized Crossover Study.cited 11× |
| accumulated short bouts of walking | No effect - examined the effects | homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) | Human | older adults with type 2 diabetes | Not specified | Accumulated Short Bouts of Walking in Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: Effects on Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) and Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR).cited 2× |
| light-intensity walking breaks | Decreases - a significant reduction | insulin | Human | mixed-sex adults (aged > 18 years) who were predominately overweight or participants with obesity | Frequent short bouts (specific duration/frequency not detailed in abstract). | The Acute Effects of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting Time in Adults with Standing and Light-Intensity Walking on Biomarkers of Cardiometabolic Health in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.cited 40× |
| fractionating prolonged sitting with frequent short bouts of light-intensity walking | Decreases - significantly attenuated | postprandial insulin | Human | mixed-sex adults (aged > 18 years) who were predominately overweight or participants with obesity | Frequent short bouts (specific duration/frequency not detailed in abstract). | The Acute Effects of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting Time in Adults with Standing and Light-Intensity Walking on Biomarkers of Cardiometabolic Health in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.cited 40× |
| Breaking sitting with standing and light-intensity walking | Increases - improved | insulin sensitivity | Human | individuals with type 2 diabetes | Sit Less regimen involved replacing 4.7 hours/day of sitting with standing (2.5 hours) and light-intensity walking (2.2 hours). | Breaking sitting with light activities vs structured exercise: a randomised crossover study demonstrating benefits for glycaemic control and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes.cited 126× |
| brisk walking program | Decreases - showed notable reductions | insulin | Human | overweight Korean women aged 20-39 | Not specified (brisk walking frequency/duration not detailed). | Sugary snack restriction enhances body composition improvement in overweight women engaging in non-face-to-face walking during COVID-19. |
| Sitting interspersed with 5 min light walking bouts every 30 min | Decreases - reduced | insulin iAUC | Human | Thirty-four adults (18 women; 16 men; mean ± SD age, 40 ± 9 yr, body mass index, 24.5 ± 3 kg·m) | 5-minute light walking bouts every 30 minutes. | Fitness Moderates Glycemic Responses to Sitting and Light Activity Breaks.cited 33× |