Exercise and Diabetes

Overview of Diabetes

Diabetes is a human disease in which our body cannot regulate blood glucose (sugar) and it begins to accumulate in blood. Normally the carbohydrates you consume in your diet are broken down into glucose and it is then transported by insulin into various cells of the body. In diabetes, either insulin is not produced (type 1) or it does not work properly (type 2). Type 2 diabetes is more common form and is associated with obesity and sedentary lifestyle. Modification in these can reduce the risk of diabetes.

Role of Exercise

Exercise is very important for a healthy body as it keeps you fit and active. It makes your body strong and resilient so that you can fight various ailments. Exercise is also very beneficial for diabetics and both aerobic exercise and resistance training have been found to be effective in controlling diabetes.

How does exercise do it?

Exercise is protective not merely because it helps you lose weight, it has other protective mechanisms as well:

1. Losing weight: The more you work out the more you lose weight, it’s as simple as that. The American Diabetes association has found that losing 10 to 15 pounds of weight can significantly improve blood glucose levels.

2. Increasing insulin sensitivity: Insulin resistance is one of the basic mechanism of type 2 diabetes and exercise can reverse it.

3. Lowering blood glucose: When you exercise, you spend a lot of energy. Where does this energy come from? Yes, you are right. Glucose is the main source of energy that drives all our bodily functions. When you exercise, the muscles of the body take up larger quantities of glucose from the blood to gain energy. As this glucose clears up from the blood, it controls diabetes.