CBS News – You may have heard of the “hot girl walk”, but what about a “fart walk”?
Social media user @mairlynsmith, a Canadian cookbook author and self-proclaimed “queen of fiber,” has gained attention for dubbing her after-dinner walk this head-turning name, claiming it can help you “age wonderfully” and reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes.
“My husband and I go for fart walks most nights after dinner,” Smith says in a video posted to her Instagram with nearly half a million likes.
“Why? Because walking is helping maintain our blood sugars, keeping them from ricocheting all around. And as you age, especially after 40, you have a bigger chance of developing Type 2 diabetes.”
More than 1 in 3 U.S. adults had prediabetes in 2021, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
“Prediabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes,” the institute’s website states. “People with prediabetes have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.”
Erin Palinski-Wade, registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes educator, told CBS News this type of after-dinner activity is a “really smart idea” — and even something she recommends to her clients, just not under the same name.
“I do recommend getting up and moving after eating — not vigorously, but in a moderate way where you can carry on a conversation,” she said. “The idea of movement after a meal can have a lot of health benefits as well as digestive benefits. So I think it’s a good trend.”
“It’s the benefit you’re getting from moving that is helping support the gut and the whole body,” said Palinski-Wade.
“The gas coming out is not the benefit, it’s the mobility where you’re really getting the benefit … ”
