Diabetes and Exercise

The benefits of exercise include:

Improved insulin sensitivity

Lowered risk of heart disease

Reduced stress and enhanced quality of life

All of the above

All of the answers are correct. Aerobic exercise, including brisk walking, swimming and cycling, has a long list of health benefits. Other benefits include reduced body fat, preserved bone mass and improved circulation.

Exercise also has possible risks and it is important to discuss your exercise regimen with your medical team before starting. Possible problems include:

Low blood sugar reactions

Creating joint or bone injury (example - Charcot joint)

Heart attack

All of the above

All of the answers are correct. It is critical to discuss your exercise regimen with your medical team prior to starting a new activity.

Generally speaking, aerobic activity will lower blood sugars and the more vigorous the activity, the more likely it is that this will occur. However, many activities of daily life will also increase insulin sensitivity. Activities that may cause low blood sugar reactions include:

Shopping

Gardening

House cleaning

Swimming

All of the above

All of the answers are correct. Both aerobic exercise and daily life activities can increase insulin sensitivity and decrease the blood sugar. These activities may require reducing the dose of diabetes medicines, and may require consumption of extra carbohydrate to keep the blood sugar stable. Consult your medical team for specific questions regarding your activity.

Even if you are unable to do vigorous aerobic exercise, it is important to increase your general activity level. Examples of how to do this include:

Take the stairs at work

Park your car at the far side of the parking lot

Spend part of your lunch hour walking

Do errands on foot

All of the above

All of the answers are correct. However, the best answer is "All of the above".

If you are taking insulin and/or pills that cause insulin to be released from the pancreas, there are several questions you should consider each time before starting exercise. These include:

What is my blood sugar right now?

Do I have a meter so that I can check my blood sugar during exercise?

Do I have snacks nearby in case I need them?

All of the above

All of the answers are correct. These are all important issues to consider in order to exercise as safely as possible. The goal of reviewing this checklist prior to exercise is to ensure predictable blood sugars during exercise and hopefully prevent low blood sugar reactions afterwards.

If you have a low blood sugar during exercise, what would be an appropriate food choice?

Dextrose tablets, banana or fruit juice

Peanut butter, cheese or nuts

Diet soda

Chocolate bar

All of the above

A low blood sugar should be treated with sugar (glucose or dextrose) or a readily absorbed simple carbohydrate (such as juice or fruit). If the food is high fat or oily, such as a chocolate bar, the stomach will empty more slowly and the absorption of the sugar is delayed. High protein foods, such as peanut butter, cheese or nuts, will not have a significant effect on blood sugar levels. And remember, do not take insulin to cover exercise-related snacks or snacks used to prevent or treat a low blood sugar.

Do you have type 2 diabetes and are treated with pills that cause insulin to be released from the pancreas? If not, click "Show Answer" to skip to the next question. If so, you are still at risk for low blood sugars. How might exercise affect your dose of these medications?

If you are exercising regularly, your overall dose of these pills may need to be reduced.

If you are exercising sporadically, the acute effect of exercise on insulin sensitivity may last hours to half-a-day. You may therefore need to increase carbohydrate intake or reduce the dose of these medications in the short term.

Vigorous activity may result in prolonged insulin sensitivity and require a decrease in pill requirements overnight and even into the next day.

All of the above

All of the answers are correct. However, the best answer is "All of the above".

If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and are treated with insulin, try this question. If not, click "Show Answer" to proceed to the next question. How does exercise potentially affect insulin requirements, both in the short and long term?

Exercise generally increases insulin sensitivity.

A lower dose of insulin may be needed during the activity and mealtime insulin doses decreased just before and just after the activity.

Routine, daily exercise may require an overall reduction in your total daily dose of insulin.

All of the above

All of the answers are correct. However, the best answer is "All of the above". When you do aerobic exercise, insulin sensitivity generally increases, and if you are treated with insulin, you have a higher risk of low blood sugars. This can affect insulin dose requirements in both the short and long term.

Exercise done at the same time, duration and intensity on a daily basis will ensure the most predictable blood glucose responses.

True

False

No one day is ever the same, but doing exercise consistently will give the greatest opportunity for stable blood sugars. Remember, though, that other factors such as stress, illness or foods eaten that day will still have an effect.

Combining alcohol and exercise, such as when you go dancing and drinking, increases the risk of a low blood sugar.

True

False

Both activities promote low blood sugars, and when done together, can increase the risk as well as make it more difficult to correct if it does happen. Normally, the liver releases glucose to maintain blood sugar levels. But when you drink alcohol, the liver is busy breaking the alcohol down, so it does a poor job of releasing glucose into the bloodstream.

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