Diabetes and Exercise
Dear Susannah,
By now you are familiar with many diabetes facts so it’s time for us to move to diabetes and exercise.
Diabetes and exercise
Exercise is an integral component of a comprehensive diabetes care plan that can have multiple positive benefits (decreases risks of heart disease, body fat and high blood pressure, maintains muscle mass, helps with weight loss, etc.). Exercise also lowers blood sugar levels during and after exercise. As you can see, you can’t afford being physically inactive.
Exercise and blood sugar levels
Physical activity is the best pill you can take to control blood sugar levels. I know you are not very fond of any type of exercise, but at this point you need to make an effort and start some kind of routine that incorporates physical activity in your life. Walking, for example, is an excellent option as you are going to see in a few minutes.
You already know from my previous emails that in order to have energy, our cells need glucose. You also know that in some diabetic individuals, because of insulin resistance, glucose cannot get inside the cells and remains circulating in the blood vessels.
When insulin leaves the pancreas, it carries with it special molecules called GLUT-2 transporters. These molecules
dancing
attach themselves to the glucose particles in the blood and carry them to the outside of the cell, the membrane. There, the GLUT-2 “call” the GLUT-4 transporters located inside the cell. When the GLUT-4 transporters receive the “call”, they come to the surface and take glucose inside. This is the way it works in a healthy person. However, in people with diabetes, this mechanism doesn’t work this efficiently because either there are not enough GLUT-2 or GLUT-4 transporters to do the job.
Exercise and Insulin
Believe it or not, exercise appears to do the same job as these GLUT-2 molecules attached to insulin: it “calls” the GLUT-4 molecules to come to the surface of the cell membrane, grab the glucose from the blood, and get it inside the cell. The result: less glucose in the blood which is the goal in diabetes. Astonishing, isn’t it?
In addition, walking also increases the number of GLUT-4 transporters. So, the more you walk, the more GLUT-4 transporters your body makes. More GLUT-4 transporters the glucose in the blood can get inside the cells, clearing the blood.
As you can see, diabetes and exercise are two terms closely related. Walking briskly in your neighborhood for about an hour most days of the week will help with the process of clearing the blood. I recommend that you start as soon as you can a walking program. Early in the morning is excellent, but if you can’t do it in the morning, try the evenings. Whatever the time of the day you choose, please, DO IT!.
Hope you start your walking as soon as possible.
Emilia Klapp, BS, RD.
Your Diabetes Coach
Dear Reader: Are you physically active? If so, what type of exercise do you do? Please, share your exercise activities with us so other readers can profit from them.
www.MediterraneanDietForTheHeart.com
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