“What’s the point of exercising when it’s cold… let’s go for a drink” This is the end of a diabetic patient

Diabetes must be managed thoroughly every day, regardless of the season. However, in cold winters like these days, more careful management is required due to seasonal and physical characteristics that only appear in winter. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of diabetes patients in Korea has increased significantly every year. The number of patients increased by 21.6% from approximately 1.9 million in 2009 to 2.31 million in 2013. Diabetes complications are also increasing, increasing to 3.68 million in 2020 and 3.98 million in 2021.

Especially in winter, when the temperature drops, staying indoors reduces calorie consumption and increases blood sugar levels. Additionally, many gatherings at the end of the year and New Year encourage overeating, making it difficult to control one’s diet. Decreased immunity due to temperature differences between indoors and outdoors, as well as physical and mental stress due to endings and new beginnings, also make it difficult to manage blood sugar levels in winter.

Professor Kim Byeong-jun of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Gachon University Gil Hospital said, “During winter, many diabetic patients have very high glycated hemoglobin levels due to decreased exercise, difficulty in controlling diet, and increased physical and mental stress.” He added, “Diabetes need to prevent complications during winter.” “We need to be more careful,” he warned.

Diabetics should exercise even in winter. If you stay indoors because it’s cold, it’s easy to fail to control your blood sugar. Exercise is effective in controlling blood sugar by activating sugar metabolism in the body. Additionally, it can prevent obesity by consuming excess calories. Cardiopulmonary function improves and the condition of the musculoskeletal system improves. It also helps prevent possible cardiovascular complications by making blood vessels healthy.

However, excessive exercise, such as running outdoors in cold weather, can be toxic by shrinking the cardiovascular system. It is best to start with light exercise and gradually increase the intensity according to the patient’s condition. Just warm up for 5 to 10 minutes, do intense exercise for 20 to 30 minutes, and finish with 15 to 20 minutes of light exercise. Some easy ways to practice this in your daily life are to use the stairs instead of the elevator, and when taking public transportation, get off one or two stops early and walk.

However, exercise is not necessarily good for all diabetic patients. If you lack insulin and have difficulty controlling blood sugar, you should be careful because it can cause diabetic coma or hypoglycemia. If you have high blood pressure, you should avoid exercise that involves lifting heavy objects.

During the winter, it is difficult to control one’s diet due to various holidays and New Year’s gatherings. When many people sit around eating a large meal, it is easy to exceed the usual amount of food. This is because it is difficult to accurately judge how much to eat when drinking or eating while talking.

In particular, most soups and stews enjoyed warmly in the winter are spicy, salty, stimulating, and high-calorie. These foods stimulate your appetite and make you eat large amounts at once. Additionally, the large amounts of sodium and fat contained in these foods make it difficult to control blood sugar and induce obesity.

Professor Kim Byeong-jun said, “Diet control is the biggest task for diabetic patients.” He added, “The blood sugar level of diabetic patients changes not only depending on the amount but also the type of food eaten. Even if you exercise well, you will fail to control your blood sugar if the quality of the food you eat is poor. “It’s easy to do,” he said.

[저작권자 @머니투데이, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]