Exercise during evening may offer more health benefits against obesity

While mornings have traditionally been known as a good time for exercise, a new study on Wednesday showed that engaging in physical activity in the evening may have more health benefits for people with obesity.

The findings, published in the journal Diabetes Care, were based on wearable device data from 30,000 people who were followed over almost 8 years.

Researchers from the University of Sydney, Australia found that the risk of premature death and death from cardiovascular disease was the lowest among people who did aerobic moderate to vigorous physical activity — which raises our heart rate — between 6 pm and midnight.

“Due to a number of complex societal factors, around two in three Australians have excess weight or obesity which puts them at a much greater risk of major cardiovascular conditions such as heart attacks and stroke, and premature death,” said Dr Angelo Sabag, Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at the University of Sydney.

In the study, the team did not just track structured exercise but focused on tracking continuous aerobic exercise in bouts of 3 minutes or more.

They found that the frequency mattered more than their total amount of physical activity daily.

Further, the team observed — also based on previous research — that physical activity in the evening may help offset some of the intolerance and complications associated with diabetes or obesity, known to raise glucose intolerance in the late evening.

Sabag, however, emphasised that “exercise is by no means the only solution to the obesity crisis”.

But, the study suggests that “people who can plan their activity into certain times of the day may best offset some of these health risks,” she said.