Post-Meal Walking Vs. Pre-Meal Vinegar Ingestion: Strategies to Reduce Postprandial Hyperglycemia

Postprandial hyperglycemia is a risk factor for future CVD events. Lifestyle interventions to blunt postprandial glucose are needed to reduce diabetic and CVD risk. Apple cider vinegar, a “functional food”, has been shown to attenuate the rise in glucose following a meal. Aerobic exercise may also reduce blood glucose (BG) levels when performed before or following a high-glycemic meal. PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of post-meal vinegar ingestion and pre-meal walking in reducing postprandial hyperglycemia in elderly individuals. We also investigated whether this population will self-select walking speeds sufficient to reduce postprandial glucose spikes. METHODS: Participants (n=12) reported for testing following a 3 hour fast. Baseline BG was measured upon arrival, after which participants completed one of three conditions in a randomized, crossover order:(1) Consumption of standard meal followed by 2 hours of sitting, (2) Consumption of standard meal with apple cider vinegar (.3g/kg BW) or (3) Consumption of a standard meal followed by 15 minutes of self-paced walking. BG was measured by finger stick at 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes following meal consumption. The meal was designed to be high glycemic-index (GI) and included a bagel, butter, and orange juice. Total energy content of the meal was 470kcal (79g CHO [28gsugar], 12g FAT, 1g PRO). RESULTS: The control trial confirmed BG rose significantly following the meal at 30 (167.8±6.1 mg/dl vs. 91.8±2.4 mg/dl; p<.005) and 60 minutes (172.8±11.8 mg/dl vs. 91.8± 2.4 mg/dl; p=.024). There was no difference in BG area under the curve (AUC) at any time point following vinegar or walking interventions vs. control. However, following vinegar and walking, the absolute increase in BG at 30 minutes following the meal was significantly reduced vs. control (∆30BG in control 76.1±7.0 mg/dl vs. vinegar 46.8±9.2 mg/dl vs. walking 44.3±7.5 mg/dl; p<.05). Speed was found to be correlated with BG AUC, such that an increase in walking speed was associated with a greater reduction in 2-hour glucose AUC (R=.590). CONCLUSIONS: Lifestyle interventions such as walking and vinegar ingestion may effectively lower postprandial glucose spikes. For elderly individuals these represent alternative therapies to aid in glucose management and improve metabolic health.