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Two Studies Confirm the Role of Exercise in Blood Glucose Control
Two recent studies confirm the powerful role that exercise plays in controlling blood glucose levels. The first study, conducted by University of Missouri researchers and published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found that blood glucose levels tend to spike during periods of inactivity. The second study, conducted by the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia and published in Diabetes Care, shows that office employees who take short light-exercise breaks every 20 minutes enjoy a 30 percent reduction in blood glucose levels.
Inactivity Invites Blood Sugar Spikes
In the Missouri study, the researchers evaluated the effect of inactivity on blood glucose levels among volunteers who normally exercised at the level recommended by the American Heart Association: 10,000 steps (about five miles) daily. They particularly wanted to see what effect levels of physical activity have on post-meal blood glucose spikes.
The volunteers, fitted with monitoring devices, were told to go about their normal routines for three days, taking their usual walks and doing their usual exercise. The researchers found that at the 10,000-steps-per-day level, the volunteers' blood glucose levels did not spike after meals.
Next, the volunteers were asked to cut their daily steps to below 5,000 while continuing to eat their normal diet. The volunteers also rode rather than walked whenever possible. After the three days of relative inactivity, their after-meal blood sugar levels spiked an average 26 percent higher than the levels recorded during their more active three-day period. The researchers also found that the blood sugar spikes rose slightly higher for each day of inactivity. Once the volunteers resumed their 10,000-steps-a-day routine, their blood sugar levels quickly dropped back to what was normal for them before the experiment.
The Missouri findings show that activity levels can have a more immediate effect on blood sugar levels than even weight or diet. Even a short period of inactivity has an ill effect on blood sugar levels, and prolonged inactivity can create the conditions that invite the onset of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Benefits of Quick Office Breaks
The Australian study found that taking two-minute light exercise breaks every 20 minutes allowed office workers to reduce their blood sugar levels by 30 percent. The lead author, Associate Professor David Dunstan, noted that 60 percent of Australians are either overweight or obese, conditions that dramatically increase their chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
Dunstan said that companies should not only encourage employees to take short exercise breaks, but should also counsel them not to sit for longer than 30 minutes at a time. Long-term sitting can create circulatory problems as well as high blood sugar levels from inactivity.
The net effect of moving around at frequent intervals, said Dunstan, is to lower blood sugar levels-an essential part of avoiding the risk of diabetes.
Sources: New York Times, Diabetes Care
Categories: Blood Glucose Levels, Diabetes, Diabetes, Exercise, Exercise Breaks , Type 2 Issues
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Comments
Hi there, I have type 2 diabetes treated with Metformin, I have joined a gym and want to start weight training but I'm not sure of the risks. What do I have to be aware of?
I am very happy to know that studies are now being done on the beneficial effects of exercise or physical activities on people's health, especially on type 2 diabetics.
I have been using daily exercise as my only anti-diabetes medication since my diagnosis as a type 2 diabetic in July 1991. Nobody, including me and our family physician who diagnosed me, could believe that it was possible for me to avoid taking several anti-diabetes pills and eventually do well in controlling my disease because my diagnosis fasting sugar was 468 mg/dl. With a reading that high, other type 2s would not dare do what I have been doing.
Why don't I include the heart-healthy, natural, fresh (raw or cooked), unprocessed, whole carbohydrate foods I have been eating as a part of my diabetes control method? Because, as everybody knows, carbohydrates are notorious for creating fasting and after-meal sugar highs. In fact, I have been getting them 4x/day for more than 20 years now. Why my past A1c's of between 5.2% and 6.3% (acceptable range) happened when I have never had any hypoglycemic episode, and why I have never had any diabetes complications, nobody knows.
I am just lucky.
Bonny Damocles
ggmxir8, i have been exercising most of my adult life ((i'm 64) and know a lot about it. first, get checked by your doctor and make sure you are cleared to exersise. if you join a gym there will be instructors there to help you with everything. whatever you choose to do, it's all good and highly beneficial, start out light whether it's weights, or with cardio, start out with only perhaps ten minutes and gradually increase your time. like i said, the instructors will give you all the help you need. i've had type 1 for 46 years and even though i have some complications my heart is in great shape. my total cholesterol is 175, LDL is 56, and my HDL is 95. exercise is the absolute best thing you can do for your health whether a person has diabetes or not. it's the true fountain of youth. get after it and don't quit. but remember, start slowly. God bless you.
I'd love to know what an exercise break is. twenty-five pushups? Running in place for sixty seconds? This could be very helpful!
I am 61 and have been diabetic for 6 years. The oral meds didn't work for me. My doctor told me to cut out sugar and carbs. I dropped 30 lbs. I take glycet ( reduces some carbs in the stomach so I would start gaining when I dropped to 93lbs) I exercise regularly at home with free weights, mat and bosu. My husband bought me a training bike and I have found when I do it for more than 15 minutes my sugar level drops dramatic
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