Insulin and physical activity

L

leather_ferret

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Hi

Maybe a silly question, but then, I'm a bit thick :?

We need insulin to allow passage of sugar to the muscles and cells so we can operate.
Say I eat a meal that would require 6 units of insulin to give me a BG level of 5 two hours after providing I am just 'lazing around'.
However, after eating the same meal, but when I am working muscles hard, (say digging a 6 foot deep trench by hand), I would require no insulin to get to the same 2 hour blood glucose level.

Where does the insulin come from to facilitate passage of glucose from the blood to the muscles to fuel all that muscular activity ??

I am type two and still produce a little insulin. Is it the case that when I am working hard my own body magically starts producing higher levels of insulin, or is there another answer ??

Dave
 
phoenix

phoenix

Expert
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5,671
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Pump
In people without diabetes insulin is 'turned down' during exercise
1) because the cells become much more insulin sensitive (ie less resistant)
2) During exercise other glucose transporters that don't need insulin are also utilised. One of these in particular may be switched on when glucose levels are low but the whole thing is very complex and scientists haven't yet fathomed out exactly what happens.
However a small amount of circulating insulin is always needed.
So the insulin you are producing is able to be used much more efficiently.



I need very little insulin during exercise and because I wear a pump can turn my insulin down to a trickle during exercise. I did a three and a half hour hilly run/walk on Sunday with a basal rate of 0.2units an hour, I needed 3 glucose tablets and ended up with a bgl of 4.1mmol . Nevertheless I need that tiny trickle: the one time the cannula came out during a run I ended up with a bgl of 17mmol with ketones .
 
L

leather_ferret

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Hi Phoenix,

Thanks for the reply ..... I thought there must be some other mechanisms at work here,
I am on a base rate of 1 unit/hour Lantus and when I am working hard, I eat 'normally', don't take novorapid and use glucose tabs to top up if I start getting a bit low. Luckily I can recocognise the oncoming signs of a hypo quite clearly. Last week, however, I ignored the signs and pushed on to get a job finished - BIG MISTAKE ! , I got walloped with a massive hypo and if I could have reached the phone I would have hit 999, though probably only after several attempts. I did have glucose to hand and was OK in about half an hour but it definitely scared the living **** out of me.

We live in a remote location and it worries me that the wife might one day find me unconscious in the field with a half hour wait for an ambulance (if they can find our place, that is). Is there such a thing as a 'glucagon epi-pen' or similar that could release some glucose from the liver even if I'm out for the count and can't swallow ?? If so, could such things be got on prescription ??

cheers

Dave
 
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