An analysis of the positive effects of exercise on blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes showed that while all exercise helps, some activities — and their timing — are extremely beneficial to patients’ health.
The study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, provides a comprehensive and straightforward summary of the benefits of exercise in controlling blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
“We targeted this problem by focusing on a few key criteria: the benefit of aerobic exercise versus weight lifting, and the optimal time of day to exercise, whether to exercise before or after meals, and whether or not we have to lose weight to get the benefits.”
As part of the analysis, the researchers examined dozens of studies and drew common conclusions. Some of the key findings include:
Regular aerobic exercise: Physical activity, such as cycling, swimming and walking, that increases the heart rate and the body’s use of oxygen helps control blood glucose.
Resistance exercise: Working muscles that use an opposing force such as resistance bands or one’s own body weight benefits insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes.
Movement throughout the day by dividing the sitting time is beneficial for controlling blood glucose and insulin levels.
Performing exercises later in the day can lead to better control of blood sugar levels as well as improving insulin sensitivity.
“In short, any movement is good and more is generally better,” Mallen said. “A combination of aerobic exercise and weightlifting is likely to be better than either alone. Exercising in the afternoon may work better than exercising in the morning for glucose control, and exercise after a meal may help a little more than it did before eating.” The meal It is necessary to lose weight to see the benefits of exercise, because exercise can reduce body fat and increase muscle mass.
More than 37 million Americans have prediabetes, and between 90 and 95 percent have type 2 diabetes, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with type 2 diabetes are considered insulin resistant, which means that their cells do not respond normally to insulin, a hormone that controls the level of sugar, or glucose, in the blood.
And while insulin resistance is harmful, scientists believe that increasing insulin sensitivity is beneficial. A higher insulin sensitivity allows the body’s cells to use the glucose in the blood more effectively, which lowers blood sugar.
Malin researches insulin sensitivity and teaches kinesiology, the study of human movement. He and several other faculty members at Rutgers University support the concept of “exercise as medicine.” The idea, also supported by the American College of Sports Medicine and increasingly confirmed by research, is that exercise can be considered a first-line therapy.
2023-07-14 07:15:55
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