A meta-analysis of 53 randomized crossover studies found that brief walking breaks every 20 to 30 minutes lowered post-meal blood sugar and insulin versus sitting continuously after eating.
Walking beat standing, resistance exercise and other short activity breaks, with the biggest reductions seen when people moved every 15 to 20 minutes; every 30 minutes still delivered meaningful benefits.
About 2.5 minutes was the median break length in the analyzed studies, suggesting even very short walks can help, while breaks every 45 to 60 minutes produced smaller and less consistent results.
Researchers said walking works because repeated muscle contractions pull glucose from the bloodstream through both insulin-dependent and insulin-independent pathways, whereas standing generated near-zero blood-sugar reductions.
The benefits appeared across a broad range of adults, with the most consistent results in healthy people and those with overweight; people with obesity saw the largest blood-sugar drops, though less consistently.