Abstract
Diabetes is a serious ailment that affects over twenty-five percent of American population. Proper treatment focusing on glycemic control, blood pressure, and lipid management is essential for reducing mortality levels of patients diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Lifestyle adjustments that involve regular exercise, good health eating habits, and getting right information play a significant role in managing T2DM (Coates & Flnnery, 2010).
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is an inveterate ailment characterized by insulin resistance. Insulin resistance in the body results to increased glucose levels in the blood (Hordern et al., 2011). Research studies have revealed that physical exercise helps in preventing the occurrence of T2DM and regulating glycemic levels for patients with T2DM. In addition, exercise plays a significant role in reducing the amount of body fat and in preventing cardiovascular diseases.
People with T2DM are advised to allocate at least four hours per week on moderate exercise or at least two hours per week on high intensity exercise (Castaneda et al., 2002). However, exercise training should be directed by trained and qualified individuals because of the occurrence of comorbid conditions in T2DM patients. If patients fail to control their blood sugar levels, they are at risk of getting heart and kidney diseases and they may even suffer death.
How exercise impacts glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes
The impact of exercise on T2DM patients has been known since ancient times, when Aristotle discovered that the diabetes condition improved after exercising. Studies indicate that physical activities are helpful in management of T2DM in people with poor glycemic levels (Francois & Little, 2015). Moreover, physical activities considerably decrease body fat, decrease the need for diabetic medicines, decrease blood pressure, and improve body strength.
Research shows that improvement in glycemic control through physical exercise does not rely on insulin use or the number of years a patient has suffered diabetes. This implies that exercise may be helpful as an adjunct to normal care for T2DM patients and to patients who do not obey the doctor’s advice (Mahdad, Boukortt, Benzian & Bouchenak, 2014).
Exercises such as resistance training, indicate improvement in problems linked to metabolic conditions such as glucose intolerance and high blood pressure. Resistance training exercises decrease blood sugar by raising glucose intake at the cellular stage, in skeletal muscle, where the highest percentage of glucose intake occurs (Coates & Flnnery, 2010). This implies that vigorous resistance training exercises acts as a powerful stimulus for glucose intake. The method in which exercise influences glycemic control is due to its potential to employ extra muscle fibres and quickly reduce the amount of blood sugar, thus enhancing increased muscle insulin sensitivity.
A sixteen-week study was conducted to investigate the impact of resistance training on glycemic control in adults who had T2DM. The results indicated a reduction in the amount of plasma glycosylated hemoglobin and raised muscle glycogen storage while the control group showed no changes (Castaneda et al., 2002).
How exercise can improve overall conditions for Type 2 Diabetes individuals
Research studies reveal that physical activities help in reducing blood sugar levels and reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases for patients with T2DM. However, before beginning the exercise program, patients should look into various aspects of their health such as blood pressure and risk of heart attacks. While physical activities minimize blood pressure, patients who do not have normal blood pressure levels should avoid high intensity exercises (Hordern et al., 2011). Moreover, doctors should monitor patients who are at risk of heart attack before starting any exercise program.
Physical exercise strengthens the immune system, increases muscle strength, and plays a crucial role in psychological health (Hordern et al., 2011). Physical activity is the best strategy in improving cardiorespiratory health. A short period of physical activity heightens insulin sensitivity for about two days and this is associated with glycemic control in patients with T2DM. The intensity, length, and form of physical activity have an important role in improving the condition of T2DM (Castaneda et al., 2002).
Lack of physical exercise is a major factor in the incident of T2DM. Various trials have been done to reduce development of T2DM, in addition to preventing risk factors linked with T2DM deaths (Coates & Flnnery, 2010). Uncontrolled blood sugar levels result to kidney and renal diseases, which have high mortality rates. Thus, glycemic control has been the main spotlight of exercise training in people with T2DM. Exercise training involves aerobic and resistance exercises or a combination of both.
Research studies on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) was conducted on T2DM patients which involved four minutes of uphill walking with intervals of three minutes walking rests. The results indicated that HIIT exercise had various benefits related to the cardiovascular system (Francois & Little, 2015). The importance of this study was supported by the fact that poor health of the cardiovascular system is a major cause of death in T2DM patients.
Scientists have claimed that better metabolism is associated with loss of visceral adiposity rather than losing body weight (Hordern et al., 2011). Moreover, exercise is essential for the mental conditions of the patients because it boosts self-confidence and reduces depression.
Reference List
Castaneda, C., Layne, J., Munoz-Orians, L., Gordon, P., Walsmith, J., Foldvari, M.,.. Nelson, M. (2002). A Randomized Controlled Trial of Resistance Exercise Training to Improve Glycemic Control in Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care, 25(12), 2335-2341.
Coates, P., & Flnnery, T. (2010). Exercise your way to health: Type 2 diabetes: Exercise plans to improve your life. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Company.
Francois. M., & Little, J. (2015). Effectiveness and Safety of High-Intensity Interval Training in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Spectrum, 28(1), 39-44.
Hordern, M., Dunstan, D., Prins, J., Baker, M., Singh, M., & Coombes, J. (2011). Exercise prescription for patients with type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes: A position statement from exercise and sport science Australia. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 15, 25-31.
Mahdad, N., Boukortt, F., Benzian, Z., & Bouchenak, M. (2014). Lifestyle advice follow-up improve glycemic control, redox and inflammatory status in patients with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders, 13, 122-130.