Exercising less than daily still works for diabetics: study

Regular workouts can help people with diabetes rein in their blood sugar levels, and they don't need to hit the gym every day to see an effect, according to a new study.

Dutch researchers found that exercising for an hour every two days lowered blood sugar as much as daily 30-minute workouts in a group of 30 men with type 2 diabetes.

Exercise is considered a cornerstone of diabetes treatment and just a single bout of physical activity is known to have profound effects on blood sugar levels.

But the number of times a week to exercise for the best results is unclear.

"Our findings suggest that frequent short bouts of moderate exercise can be substituted for less frequent exercise bouts of a longer duration in people with type 2 diabetes, or vice versa," Luc J.C. van Loon of the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands told Reuters Health by email.

Nearly 25 million Americans are estimated to have type 2 diabetes, often a result of excess weight and physical inactivity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Are there any risks to exercising for people who have diabetes? Yes, but the benefits far outweigh the risks. Exercise changes the way your body reacts to insulin. Regular exercise makes your body more sensitive to insulin, and your blood sugar level may get too low (called hypoglycemia) after exercising. You may need to check your blood sugar level before and after exercising. Your doctor can tell you what your blood sugar level should be before and after exercise.

If your blood sugar level is too low or too high right before you plan to exercise, it's better to wait until the level improves. It is especially important to watch your blood sugar level if you exercise in really hot or cold conditions, because the temperature changes how your body absorbs insulin.

In type 2 diabetes, the body no longer responds appropriately to insulin, a hormone that helps ferry sugar from the blood into the cells, where it's used as fuel. That means diabetics often have higher blood sugar levels, especially after meals, which can damage organs and blood vessels over time.

The men in the new study were 60 years old on average and about half of them required insulin injections to control their blood sugar. The rest managed their condition with diet and sometimes pills for diabetes.

Be On The Safe Side:

If you have diabetes, you must be more careful than the average person. Ask your doctor about exercise, if you have any of these symptoms or conditions:

- Is your blood glucose level over 250 mg/dl?
- Do you have any symptoms of cardiovascular problems?
- Do you have any evidence of retinopathy, neuropathy, or nephropathy at this time?