These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.
Diabetes- Exercise
Question: What are the immediate effects of exercise on a diabetic who is exhibiting acute hyperglycemia? (levels of 200 or above?)
Answer: Exercise has several effects on improving both glucose levels and general diabetic control. Given two identical diabetic patients-one who exercises and one who does not exercise-the exerciser will always have better control and lower glucose levels. Curiously, this is not just the effect of burning calories with exercise which lowers glucose levels. Exercise appears to improve the efficiency of insulin at the cellular level so that the same amount of insulin has a far larger effect with exercise than without. This may be due to changing so called “counteregulatory hormones”;that is, other hormone levels in your body that also control glucose control like growth hormone, cortisol and others. Another possibility is that it improves the intracellular efficiency of insulin.
The three main controls of glucose levels are exercise levels, insulin levels, and calorie intake. Like most other aspects of diabetes, it is best to keep one’s exercise about the same each day. However, depending on how high one’s sugar is, additional exercise will lower glucose levels within two or three hours. The effect of exercise also lasts for about 12-24 hours in improving diabetic control.
One additional note, if a diabetic takes insulin and then runs, the absorption of insulin will be increased over normal, so the site of injection may effect the type of exercise one does.
Diabetes- High blood sugar
Question: I just discovered that my blood sugar is high, could you please advise as to what steps I can take to deal with this problem including medications.
Answer: High blood sugar may be classified as “glucose intolerance” or Diabetes Mellitus. Both are essentially treated the same; but glucose intolerance needs less aggressive treatment. The cornerstone of lowering blood sugar centers on insulin, diet and exercise. Diabetics fall into two large groups – one group has insufficient insulin due to a problem in the pancreas, the second has sufficient levels of insulin; however, the body cannot use it efficiently due to a variety of reasons. Type 1, occasionally still referred to as Juvenile diabetics, lack insulin, consequently, must have insulin in addition to watching diet and exercising. Type 2, occasionally referred to as Adult diabetics, have sufficient levels of insulin production; however, must focus on making their insulin more effective.
Exercise is always a cornerstone of diabetic care. Exercise improves the efficiency of insulin -no matter the type- consequently, regular exercise will improve diabetic control. Diet is also essential. Diet focuses on the proper combination of fats, carbohydrates and protein that one’s body will burn the most efficiently. It does not eliminate sugar from the diet, but it does concentrate on proper combinations of foods.
Type 1 diabetics will almost always require insulin supplementation. Type 2 diabetics have several options in addition to diet and exercise. These include insulin injections and several oral medications that will improve insulin efficiency or decrease the production of glucose in the liver. These options should always be discussed with a physician.
