Exercise Training Shows Glycemic Control Benefit

Regular exercise has long been appreciated as a way to prevent or treat type 2 diabetes. Recent research shows exercise training can even help improve glycemia in people who have had diabetes for many years and who are on insulin therapy.

A group of researchers in the Netherlands assessed the impact of a 5-month exercise training program on 11 male participants who had been living with diabetes an average of 12 years. All were sedentary and were using insulin to control glycemia. The exercise training program included resistance training and a cardio workout of increasing intensity in three weekly sessions of 45 minutes.

After 5 months, during which the participants averaged 83% attendance, testing showed they had less fat in the torso and more lean muscle in their legs. They had improved glycemic control, with significant reductions in fasting blood glucose levels and glycated hemoglobin (A1C)—from 7.6 ± 0.3% to 7.2 ± 0.2%. The amount of insulin participants needed, however, did not change.

CORBIS RF/JUPITER IMEGES

Although the sample was small, based on the results the researchers recommend an exercise training program be prescribed to all people with long-standing diabetes.