fw: Exercise Can Reverse Pre-Diabetes

[Guest guest]

from:

http://www.mercola.com/2003/apr/5/exercise_diabetes.htm

 

Exercise Can Reverse Pre-Diabetes

 

Inactive adults who add a few hours of exercise each week

may cut their risk of developing a pre-diabetic condition

known as insulin resistance syndrome, even if they don’t

lose weight.

 

As the population is eating more and exercising less,

increasing numbers of adults and children are developing the

syndrome, which results when a person loses the ability to

use insulin effectively.

 

The syndrome can develop into type 2 diabetes and increase

the risk of heart disease if left untreated.

 

To investigate whether physical activity influences the risk

of insulin resistance syndrome, researchers followed 18

sedentary men and women for six months. Participants

exercised by walking for 30 minutes between three and seven

days a week and were told not to change their diets or body

weights.

 

At the end of the study, researchers examined

insulin sensitivity and levels of blood fats, such as

cholesterol.

 

It was found that exercise with no weight loss increased

insulin sensitivity.

 

According to researchers, even modest amounts of exercise,

without weight loss or loss of abdominal fat, can improve

indicators of glucose and fat metabolism among inactive,

middle-aged adults, a group that is particularly at risk for

developing type 2 diabetes.

 

Diabetes Care March 26, 2003;26:557-562

 

--

 

DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT:

 

Exercise works by increasing the sensitivity of insulin

receptors so the insulin that is present works much more

effectively and your body doesn’t need to produce as much.

 

Blood sugar is only the symptom in most diabetics; the real

challenge is to control your insulin levels. Once the

insulin levels are stabilized it is common for the blood

sugar to come back to normal levels.

 

Most people, especially doctors, tend to not appreciate how

powerful exercise is. However, I believe it needs to be

viewed like a drug--you have to be very careful with the

dose. If the dose is not high enough, it will not work.

 

One of the keys in using exercise to normalize insulin

levels with secondary benefits of weight loss and

normalization of blood sugars, is to make certain minimum

thresholds are met. It is my experience that most people are

not exercising enough.

 

Many thousands of people have told me they thought they were

exercising enough when they were actually seriously

under-dosed. Typically, Americans don’t appreciate or

understand optimum exercise. This may be because many have

not previously competed in an aerobic sport, which allows

you to understand the feelings of “training” and how hard

you have to push yourself to obtain aerobic and insulin

benefits.

 

There are three important variables with exercise:

 

Length of time

 

Frequency

 

Intensity

 

Assuming people can exercise, I encourage my patients to

gradually increase the amount of time they are exercising to

one hour per day.

 

Initially the frequency is daily. This is a treatment dose

until they normalize their weight or insulin levels. Once

normalized, they will only need exercise three to four times

per week.

 

The intensity is a bit tricky. I was one of the first to own

a heart rate monitor many years ago, so I am more than

familiar with them. I have never really found them too

useful though. My general recommendation is far simpler and

less expensive.

 

Exercise hard enough so that it is very difficult to talk to

someone next to you. When you are exercising that hard your

cardiovascular system is under such a significant stress

that the mere act of talking makes you unable to provide

your body with enough oxygen because of the diversion of

airflow.

 

If you cannot carry on a conversation at all, then you have

gone too far and need to decrease the intensity slightly.

However, most people don’t exercise at the appropriate

intensity and as a result aren’t able to obtain the

benefits.

 

Related Articles:

 

Exercise Reduces Diabetes by Reducing Insulin

 

Diet and Exercise Reduces Risk of Diabetes

 

New Type of Drugs to Combat Type 2 Diabetes

 

Want to Stop Diabetes? Start Exercising

[Guest guest]

from:

http://www.mercola.com/2003/apr/5/exercise_diabetes.htm

 

Exercise Can Reverse Pre-Diabetes

 

Inactive adults who add a few hours of exercise each week

may cut their risk of developing a pre-diabetic condition

known as insulin resistance syndrome, even if they don’t

lose weight.

 

As the population is eating more and exercising less,

increasing numbers of adults and children are developing the

syndrome, which results when a person loses the ability to

use insulin effectively.

 

The syndrome can develop into type 2 diabetes and increase

the risk of heart disease if left untreated.

 

To investigate whether physical activity influences the risk

of insulin resistance syndrome, researchers followed 18

sedentary men and women for six months. Participants

exercised by walking for 30 minutes between three and seven

days a week and were told not to change their diets or body

weights.

 

At the end of the study, researchers examined

insulin sensitivity and levels of blood fats, such as

cholesterol.

 

It was found that exercise with no weight loss increased

insulin sensitivity.

 

According to researchers, even modest amounts of exercise,

without weight loss or loss of abdominal fat, can improve

indicators of glucose and fat metabolism among inactive,

middle-aged adults, a group that is particularly at risk for

developing type 2 diabetes.

 

Diabetes Care March 26, 2003;26:557-562

 

--

 

DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT:

 

Exercise works by increasing the sensitivity of insulin

receptors so the insulin that is present works much more

effectively and your body doesn’t need to produce as much.

 

Blood sugar is only the symptom in most diabetics; the real

challenge is to control your insulin levels. Once the

insulin levels are stabilized it is common for the blood

sugar to come back to normal levels.

 

Most people, especially doctors, tend to not appreciate how

powerful exercise is. However, I believe it needs to be

viewed like a drug--you have to be very careful with the

dose. If the dose is not high enough, it will not work.

 

One of the keys in using exercise to normalize insulin

levels with secondary benefits of weight loss and

normalization of blood sugars, is to make certain minimum

thresholds are met. It is my experience that most people are

not exercising enough.

 

Many thousands of people have told me they thought they were

exercising enough when they were actually seriously

under-dosed. Typically, Americans don’t appreciate or

understand optimum exercise. This may be because many have

not previously competed in an aerobic sport, which allows

you to understand the feelings of “training” and how hard

you have to push yourself to obtain aerobic and insulin

benefits.

 

There are three important variables with exercise:

 

Length of time

 

Frequency

 

Intensity

 

Assuming people can exercise, I encourage my patients to

gradually increase the amount of time they are exercising to

one hour per day.

 

Initially the frequency is daily. This is a treatment dose

until they normalize their weight or insulin levels. Once

normalized, they will only need exercise three to four times

per week.

 

The intensity is a bit tricky. I was one of the first to own

a heart rate monitor many years ago, so I am more than

familiar with them. I have never really found them too

useful though. My general recommendation is far simpler and

less expensive.

 

Exercise hard enough so that it is very difficult to talk to

someone next to you. When you are exercising that hard your

cardiovascular system is under such a significant stress

that the mere act of talking makes you unable to provide

your body with enough oxygen because of the diversion of

airflow.

 

If you cannot carry on a conversation at all, then you have

gone too far and need to decrease the intensity slightly.

However, most people don’t exercise at the appropriate

intensity and as a result aren’t able to obtain the

benefits.

 

Related Articles:

 

Exercise Reduces Diabetes by Reducing Insulin

 

Diet and Exercise Reduces Risk of Diabetes

 

New Type of Drugs to Combat Type 2 Diabetes

 

Want to Stop Diabetes? Start Exercising