The Power of Exercise For Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
Written by Janelle Nieva
Edited by Emily Moran
July 31st 2021
Edited by Emily Moran
July 31st 2021
I’m sure we’ve all heard the numerous benefits of exercise -- lowering heart disease risk, increasing our energy levels, sharpening our mental clarity, boosting our mood, and so much more (Centers for Disease Control, 2021). For people with Type 2 diabetes, exercise can serve as a fundamental treatment for mitigating symptoms.
So what type of exercise is actually the most effective for treating diabetes?
First off, know that any sort of physical
activity that gets you moving, whether it’s big
or small -- from walking, dancing, swimming, to biking -- is always doing you good! If we want to get more specific though, we will need to look at the two categories of exercise: endurance-type exercise and resistance-type exercise.
Endurance-type exercise involves more cardio-based movements, which will get the heart pumping and blood flowing. It is found that consistent endurance-type exercise improves insulin sensitivity across all ages (Praet & Van Loon, 2007). Along with this, endurance training helps to decrease overall body fat mass. This type of exercise is the most commonly practiced among exercise interventions for patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
Resistance-type exercise has more to do with building muscle and gaining strength. These can involve using things like dumbbells, weight-lifting, resistance bands, and even simply your own body weight to work the muscles. Exercise involving resistance is shown to increase skeletal muscle mass, which improves the efficiency of our body’s ability to store glucose to be used later as energy (Praet & Van Loon, 2007). As we age, we are more prone to the deterioration of muscle mass. Resistance-type exercise also helps to mitigate this loss of muscle mass by helping us gain more muscle, improving its strength and function.
All in all, resistance training is all about strength while endurance training focuses on stamina, but many traits within both categories can still intertwine. The key to an effective exercise intervention is actually a combination of both resistance-type exercise and endurance-type exercise, comprising a plan tailored to the specific individual and their condition (Praet & Van Loon, 2007).
Adding these two types of exercise together was shown to lead to a greater improvement of muscle strength and performance . Not only does this powerful combination increase muscle functionality and glucose tolerance, but it also serves as a great preventative measure to hinder the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
References
Praet, S. F., & Van Loon, L. J. (2007). Optimizing the therapeutic benefits of exercise in type 2 diabetes. Journal of Applied Physiology, 103(4), 1113-1120. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00566.2007
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, April 5). Benefits of Physical Activity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm