Exercise Produces High Blood Sugar in Diabetics
Exercise Produces High Blood Sugar in Diabetics
Nov. 18, 1999 (Santa Cruz, Calif.) -- Insulin-dependent diabetics who take part in sports may need to take more insulin after intense exercise rather than less, contrary to conventional wisdom.
A new study, published in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, shows that insulin-dependent diabetics, known as type 1 diabetics, are likely to see an increase in their blood sugar, not a decrease, after an intense bout of physical exertion.
It is healthy for blood sugar to rise during exercise because the muscles need the excess fuel to compensate for the increased demand placed upon them. But in most people the body will adjust after exercising and bring the blood sugar levels back to normal. That is not the case for a type 1 diabetic, because their bodies will not circulate enough insulin, which is required to convert the sugar in the blood.
"Anyone who is competitive, who is doing a sprint, playing hockey, [playing] basketball ... is at significant risk of developing high sugar as a consequence of their exercise," study investigator Errol Marliss, MD, tells WebMD. Marliss is professor of medicine and director of the McGill Nutrition and Food Science Center at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal.
"There's a big difference in the blood [sugar] response depending on the intensity of exercise," Marliss says. "The classic teaching about [exercise by a diabetic] who is insulin-treated is, 'Look out, because your blood sugar is going to go down; you may have to either take extra carbohydrate or less insulin.' [But] a lot of very athletic, type 1 diabetic people have been telling their doctors for years, 'Look, Doc, I'm getting [too much blood sugar] when I exercise,'" Marliss says, "and that is a predictable consequence of higher intensities of exercise."
"Intense exercise makes you put out anti-insulin hormones," says Stanley Feld, MD, chairman of the task force of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), who reviewed the study for WebMD. That's normal, and a healthy person will secrete enough insulin after exercise to lower the excess blood sugar no longer needed by the muscles. That is not the case with a type 1 diabetic.
A new study, published in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, shows that insulin-dependent diabetics, known as type 1 diabetics, are likely to see an increase in their blood sugar, not a decrease, after an intense bout of physical exertion.
It is healthy for blood sugar to rise during exercise because the muscles need the excess fuel to compensate for the increased demand placed upon them. But in most people the body will adjust after exercising and bring the blood sugar levels back to normal. That is not the case for a type 1 diabetic, because their bodies will not circulate enough insulin, which is required to convert the sugar in the blood.
"Anyone who is competitive, who is doing a sprint, playing hockey, [playing] basketball ... is at significant risk of developing high sugar as a consequence of their exercise," study investigator Errol Marliss, MD, tells WebMD. Marliss is professor of medicine and director of the McGill Nutrition and Food Science Center at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal.
"There's a big difference in the blood [sugar] response depending on the intensity of exercise," Marliss says. "The classic teaching about [exercise by a diabetic] who is insulin-treated is, 'Look out, because your blood sugar is going to go down; you may have to either take extra carbohydrate or less insulin.' [But] a lot of very athletic, type 1 diabetic people have been telling their doctors for years, 'Look, Doc, I'm getting [too much blood sugar] when I exercise,'" Marliss says, "and that is a predictable consequence of higher intensities of exercise."
"Intense exercise makes you put out anti-insulin hormones," says Stanley Feld, MD, chairman of the task force of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), who reviewed the study for WebMD. That's normal, and a healthy person will secrete enough insulin after exercise to lower the excess blood sugar no longer needed by the muscles. That is not the case with a type 1 diabetic.
