The best time for men with type 2 diabetes to exercise is the middle of the day, with research showing it lowers their risk of developing heart disease, according to research published in Diabetes Care. 

The research discovered that the time men exercise can have an impact on their heart health for men with type 2 diabetes who are overweight or obese.  

In 2,035 people, men who exercised at midday had lower cardiorespiratory fitness levels compared to those who exercised in the morning, who were at the highest risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD), no matter the intensity of the activity.  

The research did not find a link between the time of exercise and CHD risk in women. To read more about this research click here. (short version – see below for long version) 

“The general message for our patient population remains that you should exercise whenever you can as regular exercise provides significant benefits for health. But researchers studying the effects of physical activity should take into account timing as an additional consideration so that we can give better recommendations to the general public about how time of day might affect the relationship between exercise and cardiovascular health,” said Jingyi Qian, Ph.D., Corresponding Author, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. 

The researchers looked at data from 5000 people with type 2 diabetes who were overweight or obese, as part of a randomised clinical investigation that started in 2001. More than 2,000 of those people had their physical activity objectively measured against the baseline. 

Participants had devices mounted to their hip which measured the force and gravity of their activity over a four-year period. 

Researchers hope to continue their work looking into exercise timing and health outcomes, particularly among people with diabetes.  Find out how you can get more physically active here.