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Two studies suggest that exercising in the morning may have the most significant impact on reducing the likelihood of obesity, while both morning and afternoon exercise appear to lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The first study, led by Tongyu Ma, PhD, a research assistant professor at Franklin Pierce University, analyzed data from nearly 5,300 individuals. They discovered a strong connection between moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and obesity. Their findings, published in Obesity, revealed that individuals who exercised in the morning tended to have a lower body mass index compared to those who exercised at other times, even if they were more sedentary.
In the second study, Chirag J. Patel, PhD, an associate professor of biomedical informatics at Harvard Medical School, along with colleagues, examined data from over 93,000 individuals. They found that both morning and afternoon exercise reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, whereas evening exercise did not show the same effect. However, the study also indicated that engaging in at least MVPA protected against the development of type 2 diabetes, regardless of the time of day.
The authors of both studies recommend incorporating some higher intensity activity to further reduce the risk of developing diabetes and other cardiovascular conditions.
Ma and colleagues point out that while a positive association between physical activity levels and obesity has been frequently reported, the optimal timing of physical activity for reducing obesity remains a topic of debate. Their research analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and identified three clusters of diurnal MVPA patterns: morning, midday, and evening.
Participants in the morning cluster tended to be older and more likely to be female, non-smokers, and have less than a high school education. They engaged in less physical activity and were more sedentary compared to those in the midday and evening clusters. Despite being more sedentary, individuals in the morning cluster had a lower body mass index and smaller waist circumference.
Rebecca Krukowski, PhD, a professor in Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, noted that the research aligns with the advice to schedule exercise in the morning to avoid distractions. However, she cautioned that the cross-sectional nature of the study leaves open the possibility that people who consistently exercise in the morning may have different characteristics that weren’t measured in the study.
The second study focused on a group of 93,095 individuals from the UK Biobank, with an average age of 62 and no history of type 2 diabetes. Participants wore a wrist accelerometer for a week, and their movement data was used to estimate total physical activity. The results showed that both morning and afternoon physical activity were associated with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Evening activity, however, did not show the same association. The study also found that engaging in MVPA and vigorous physical activity reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes at all times of day.
