Dear Doctors: My regular checkup showed I have prediabetes. My doctor explained how to change my diet, which I understand. He also talked about exercise, and my sister says that's just as important. She heard about a study saying weightlifting makes a big difference. Can you talk about that?
Dear Reader: When someone has prediabetes, their blood sugar levels are above the normal range. But the levels are not yet high enough for a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. This happens when the body is no longer good at moving glucose from the blood into the cells.
Prediabetes can develop when the body's cells stop responding well to insulin and the pancreas can't produce enough of the hormone to make up for it. This diagnosis is a clear warning sign. Without timely lifestyle changes, an escalation to Type 2 diabetes could follow.
It is important that you follow your doctor's guidance about changing your diet. We suspect it included lowering how many simple carbs you eat, increasing fiber, avoiding blood sugar swings and aiming for healthy blood lipid levels. But your sister is also correct that regular exercise is a big part of the picture. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Research shows this can have a big, positive effect on how your body controls blood sugar.
Your sister may be referring to findings published earlier this summer in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. In that study, researchers in Australia analyzed health data gathered from 8,000 adults. They found that, over nine years, people who combined cardio with strength training, such as lifting weights, cut their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 50%. This reduction was compared to those who did not exercise. And as a nice bonus, that exercise combination was also linked to lower risk of high blood pressure.
So what's going on? Our muscles need fuel. That fuel is glucose. The digestive system gets glucose from the foods we eat. When we exercise, muscles pull glucose directly from the bloodstream. This process doesn't need insulin. That helps the body control blood sugar levels with less need for insulin. At the same time, exercise changes muscles in ways that make them more responsive to insulin. With resistance training, you are building muscle. This creates even more room for the muscles to take up and store glucose.
For best results, follow the CDC's recommendation for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week. (If high-intensity cardio is your preference, the goal is 75 minutes per week.) Even short 5- and 10-minute bursts of exercise "snacks" are now known to help. You should do muscle-strengthening exercises twice a week, such as weightlifting, resistance training, situps and pushups. If regular exercise is not yet part of your life, start with short sessions and light weights. From there, increase gradually and safely.
(Send your questions to [email protected], or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)
