When Exercising, Mix It Up
A combination of aerobic and weight training best controls diabetes

(HealthDay News) -- Exercise is a proven way to keep diabetes at bay, or at least under control. But the type of exercise you do appears to make a difference.

Researchers have found that a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training controls blood sugar levels better than either activity does on its own.

"Most other studies have looked at just one kind of exercise, either aerobic or resistance," but this study looked at a combination of the two, the study's lead researcher Dr. Ronald J. Sigal, an associate professor of medicine and cardiac sciences at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, explained to HealthDay .

"There is additional value to doing both resistance and aerobic exercise," said Sigal, whose findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine .

The study included 251 adults, 39 to 70 years old. All of them had type 2 diabetes, and none exercised regularly at the start of the study. The volunteers were placed into one of four groups: One group did 45 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week; the second group did resistance training for 45 minutes three times a week; the third group did both exercises for 45 minutes each three times a week; and the final group did no exercise.

The aerobic group either worked out on a treadmill or on a stationary bike at a gym. The resistance group worked out at a gym as well, doing seven exercises on weight machines.

The participants' blood glucose levels -- specifically A1C values, which measure blood glucose over time, about three months -- were checked before the study and 26 weeks later. The lower the A1C level, the better the long-term blood sugar control, which translates into a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes complications. A 1 percent drop in A1C levels, for instance, has been associated with up to a 20 percent decrease in the risk of heart disease, and up to a 40 percent drop in kidney and eye complications related to diabetes.

Not surprisingly, A1C levels improved for all groups that did exercise. In both the aerobic and the weights-only groups, the levels dropped by about 0.5 percent, but among those who did both, the levels dropped nearly 1 percent, compared with the non-exercisers. Non-exercisers recorded no changes in their A1C levels.

"Basically, aerobic and resistance training both do very well, and the combination does even better," Cathy Nonas, a certified diabetes educator and director of physical activity and nutrition for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told HealthDay .

"I think this is a very uplifting study," she said. "It says whatever you do will have an effect, and the more you do, the better the effect." But, she advised, people who've been sedentary should start slowly and gradually increase the amount of exercise each week.

Along with exercising more, the National Diabetes Education Program also recommends losing weight and making healthy food choices to prevent type 2 diabetes.

On the Web

Learn more about diabetes from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases online.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Ronald J. Sigal, M.D., associate professor of medicine and cardiac sciences, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Cathy Nonas, R.D., certified diabetes education and director of physical activity and nutrition, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City; Sept. 18, 2007, Annals of Internal Medicine ; National Diabetes Education Program (www.ndep.nih.gov)
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: Sept. 30, 2008
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