Exercise can improve beta cell function in T2 diabetes

[Alexandra100]

Exciting article for those of us who are able / willing to exercise. (I am taking this as a wake-up call to do more, much more!) Good to counter the frustration of seeing bg levels rise short-term after some exercise.

" STORY OF THE WEEK
Published in Diabetes and
2 other channels
Journal Scan / Research · October 22, 2020

Intensive Lifestyle Intervention Effects on Improved Glycemic Control in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes

• In this study, intensive exercise was associated with improvement in beta cell function and a decrease in low-grade inflammation among participants with type 2 diabetes. – Jacqueline A. Seiglie, MD, MSc"

https://www.practiceupdate.com/c/10...ewsletter&rid=Mzc4ODEyMjQ2OTk4S0&lid=20849413

(Title edited by mod to reflect this is a thread on T2)

 

[Mrs T 123]

Interesting read - cheers for that

 

[KK123]

I've always felt that exercise is pretty much like an extra 'medicine' in that it has the ability to improve everything. I have always exercised and now I'm getting on a bit I do more, not to improve my glucose levels interestingly enough but to try and keep my heart & bones strong and to stave off any aches and pains. Of course it's not for everyone for a number of reasons but for me it's my go to stress reliever. I don't think you need to go mad with it either, I find that when I do a casual (hardly out of breath) walk for 30 minutes my glucose levels plummet fast, if I go harder then they remain the same or go up slightly (then are much lower for the next 24 hours). They should put it on prescription! x

 

[bulkbiker]

Exciting article for those of us who are able / willing to exercise. (I am taking this as a wake-up call to do more, much more!) Good to counter the frustration of seeing bg levels rise short-term after some exercise.

" STORY OF THE WEEK
Published in Diabetes and
2 other channels
Journal Scan / Research · October 22, 2020

Intensive Lifestyle Intervention Effects on Improved Glycemic Control in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes

• In this study, intensive exercise was associated with improvement in beta cell function and a decrease in low-grade inflammation among participants with type 2 diabetes. – Jacqueline A. Seiglie, MD, MSc"

https://www.practiceupdate.com/c/10...ewsletter&rid=Mzc4ODEyMjQ2OTk4S0&lid=20849413

Oh dear the very first line is nonsense ...

"A sedentary lifestyle with continued calorie consumption increases circulating sugar."

Does it get better?

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Oh dear the very first line is nonsense ...

"A sedentary lifestyle with continued calorie consumption increases circulating sugar."

Does it get better?

Possibly not.
Just dipping into it gives "The combination of excess sugar, triglycerides, and inflammation becomes toxic to beta cells, creating insulin resistance.".
I could be wrong but I thought insulin resistance came from the body cells such as fat and muscle, not the pancreas Beta cells.

I shall soldier on.

Edit: noting that I am out of scope for this study because my BMI is too low and I have been diagnosed too long.

 

[Alexandra100]

The writer of the article may well have got the theory wrong. For me what counts and inspires is the research results. The people who exercised "intensely" (both aerobic and resistance training) improved. Those who didn't, didn't. It would now be ideal if someone else would do a second experiment to see if the results are reproducible. Of course, it is open to me to try all on my own to reproduce those results. I'm not sure I'm up to it, though.

 

[Goonergal]

Does it get better?

Not really. It's actually a study which involved lifestyle interventions that included aerobic exercise.

Now I like a decent bit of exercise, but like @KK123 its for the intrinsic health benefits, and particularly for me, the mental health benefits of de-stressing. Sure a long walk helps with BG, but that can equally be achieved through diet and the exercise definitely can't, in my experience, compensate for any kind of excess in terms of eating.

 

[Alexandra100]

Edit: noting that I am out of scope for this study because my BMI is too low and I have been diagnosed too long.

Me too! But my having a low BMI and a lowish A1c means research into diabetes management is almost never, I could even say never ever, appropriate to to me. I do find this discouraging. However, there is no proof that what works for over-weight people with high A1cs WON'T work for me. I doubt anyone will ever do research on a group of skinny T2s, because of the risk that some/all of us may be LADA/T1 in disguise.

 

[Alexandra100]

Sure a long walk helps with BG, but that can equally be achieved through diet

I have cut the carbs in my diet as low as I can tolerate, less than Dr B's suggested 30g daily. That has not sufficed to bring my A1c down as low as I would like, so all that remains is to increase exercise.

 

[Goonergal]

lowish A1c means research into diabetes management is almost never, I could even say never ever, appropriate to to me

Average baseline A1C was 49.3. Hardly high on the diabetes scale. The study seems to be severely flawed, to say the least.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Not really. It's actually a study which involved lifestyle interventions that included aerobic exercise.

Now I like a decent bit of exercise, but like @KK123 its for the intrinsic health benefits, and particularly for me, the mental health benefits of de-stressing. Sure a long walk helps with BG, but that can equally be achieved through diet and the exercise definitely can't, in my experience, compensate for any kind of excess in terms of eating.

Yep.

Just got down to "with a concomitant dietary intervention aiming for a BMI of 25 kg/m2".
Which is interesting also because the entry level of the study was a BMI of 25-40.
So presumably some got to eat more than others.

It would have been instructive to see what dietary intervention alone achieved.

I wonder who approved the research proposal?