Researchers from the University of Otago found a walk after eating resulted in significantly lower blood glucose levels.
Type 2 diabetes is a progressive and preventable condition that limits the body's ability to maintain healthy levels of glucose in the blood.
Unhealthy levels of glucose can lead to long term and short term health complications.
Over 200,000 people in New Zealand have diabetes.
The study, published in international journal Diabetologia, suggests the timing of physical activity has significant additional health benefits on top of those provided by the activity itself.
The researchers prescribed walking to 41 patients with type 2 diabetes in two-week blocks, separated by a month.
They were each fitted with a accelerometer to measure their physical activity and a device that measured their blood sugar every five minutes.
Some were told to walk either for 30 minutes a day as advised by the diabetes guidelines, or to walk for 10 minutes after each main meal.
Lead researcher Andrew Reynolds says the study found that post-meal blood sugar levels dropped 12% on average when the participants followed the walking after meals advice compared to walking at any time of the day.
"Most of this effect came from the highly significant 22 percent reduction in blood sugar when walking after evening meals, which were the most carbohydrate heavy, and were followed by the most sedentary time," Dr Reynolds said.
The researchers recommend that the current guidelines be amended to specify post-meal activity, particularly when meals contain a substantial amount of carbohydrate.
