Calling exercise "an underutilized therapy," the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) explains in a position statement that very few diabetic patients use exercise as a way to help control their symptoms and lower their risk of developing serious complications, despite the fact that it has proven benefits.
According to the group, some of the positive effects that physical activity can have on patients with type 2 diabetes are:
lower rates of obesity strengthen the heart stabilize blood sugar and make cells more responsive to insulin.
lower rates of obesity
strengthen the heart
stabilize blood sugar and make cells more responsive to insulin.
"Physical activity, including appropriate endurance and resistance training, is a major therapeutic modality for type 2 diabetes," the committee concludes. They recommend that diabetics exercise 3 to 5 times a week and burn a total of about 1,000 calories. Patients can begin with 10-15 minutes of exercise and work up to 30 minutes per session.
An estimated 16 million Americans suffer from type 2 diabetes, a disorder whose long-term complications include heart disease, blindness and kidney failure. In this disorder, cells are unresponsive to insulin, causing blood sugar levels to. Over the long term, excessively high blood glucose erodes blood vessels and nerves leading to heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, neuropathy and even amputation.
People with diabetes should exercise at whatever intensity leads to improvements in cardiovascular endurance. In some people, even a low to moderate intensity exercise program can lower blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity, the authors note.
The committee recommends that patients consult their doctor for a thorough physical examination, which will assess any risks for injury.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Medicine 2000.
There was a newsletter article on this topic in July. I believe it is absolute negligence for a physician not to aggressively encourage diabetics to exercise. Clearly some, for good reasons, will be unable to do so. And many others will not do so because they just don't want to. That should still not dissuade the physician from being a promoter and cheerleader for his patients to exercise. They desperately need it and will likely have to take expensive drugs the rest of their life as the alternative.
The drugs work poorly, if at all, to prevent long-term diabetic complications, but they certainly make the drug companies a bundle of money. Unfortunately, very few companies benefit when a person commits to an exercise program. Now there's a thought. Maybe we can get some health clubs to subsidize the benefits the doctors get from the drug company so they will recommend and encourage exercise as an alternative to the drugs.
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