Active diabetic kids at risk
Are you the parent of a type one diabetic child? Is your child fond of exercise?
A recent study has shown that children who suffer from type 1 diabetes are at an increased risk of suffering from an overnight blood sugar level drop on the days when they take exercise.
50 adolescents were involved in the trial, which monitored the subjects in a clinic for two days. On one day, they remained inactive, and on the other carried out treadmill exercise in the latter part of the day. A surprising 42% of the study adolescents suffered from overnight hypoglycaemia, and almost all underwent a dip in blood sugar, after the day on which they exercised, compared with only 16% on the non-exercise days.
Some of the children also had night-time hypoglycaemia on the day in which they did not exercise, and the greater risk group was established to be those who were active in their daily lives. The researchers noted that the regular exercise that these adolescents took could have made their bodies more responsive to insulin.
The co-author of the study, Dr. Roy Beck, director of the Jaeb Center for Health Research based in Tampa, Florida, noted that ‘exercise is good for them.’ Exercise is without a doubt positive, both generally for health and also to keep blood sugar from rising, but this study highlights the importance of altering your child’s diabetes routine on days in which they exercise.
If your child is active, and enjoys exercise, it may be essential to consider how to change the management of their diabetes to reduce the risk of low nocturnal blood sugar. This could include adjusting insulin doses, mealtimes, or allowing late evening snacks in order to meet the body’s demands.
The key appears to be flexibility and the ability to respond to problems as they arise.
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