Physical Activity and Type 2 Diabetes

I've just made the connection between the Sept 2007 research I blog'd on yesterday " Effects of Aerobic Training, Resistance Training, or Both on Glycemic control in Type 2 Diabetes" and the consensus statement from the American Diabetes Association entitled " Physical Activity/Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes" published June 2006 in Diabetes Care. The connection is the lead author Dr Ronald J. Sigal from the University of Ottawa, Ontario.

They are both leading down the same route but now Dr Segal does not have to reference other people's research on the beneficial impact of exercise on Type 2 Diabetes, he's conducted his own trial. Over the 15 months between the two papers the importance of hard, heavy resistance to accompany the cardio (aerobic) exercise has been emphasised. Equally on the cardio front the beneficial effects on blood glucose control obtained from intense cardio has also gone up a little.

Both forms of exercise, if sufficiently intense, improve insulin sensitivity for 24 to 72 hours after exercise and maybe a bit longer in the case of tough weight or resistance exercise. So not having 2 days without any exercise is critical.Hence 3 times per week to work out hard (cardio and weights) is just about right. Every second day is even better - why take the whole week-end off ?

The June 2006 paper also offers an insight that weight loss on its own has minimal, maybe no, impact on glucose control in those with Type 2 Diabetes.