1 + 1 is greater than (Type) 2 (Diabetes)

Did you know that one plus one are more than two when it comes to diabetes?  It’s true!
 
Scientific studies have firmly concluded that when you add 1) strength (resistance) training and 2) aerobic exercise, you get more benefits to help you prevent and control Type 2 diabetes.
 
A study[1] of men conducted by a team of researchers from Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Southern Denmark found that:

• Even a modest amount of weight training may help reduce type 2 diabetes risk.  And that…
• The combination of weight training and aerobic exercise confers the greatest benefits.

 
Another study[2] team, including researchers from Harvard and the University of Southern Denmark, analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Studies (almost 100,000 women between the ages of 36 and 81) and found that:

• Women who engaged the most in resistance training and lower intensity muscular conditioning (like yoga) had the lowest risk of developing diabetes.

 
Health Professionals Follow-up Study
Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Medicine, and his colleagues studied data on 32,000 men who were followed for almost two decades to determine their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.  Among their findings:  even 10 minutes a day of resistance work—whether at the gym or at home doing push-ups or using resistance bands—is enough to produce a benefit.[3]
 

How it Works
For those with diabetes, strength training helps your body:

• respond better to insulin
• improve the way it uses blood sugar
• control your weight

 
Both Canadian and American Diabetes Associations recommend that those with diabetes do some type of strength/resistance training two to three times a week, for example:

• strength training machines
• free weights
• resistance bands
• body weight
• the use of common objects found at home, like soup cans

 
To learn more about diabetes, nutrition and exercise…

• Come to a casual, interactive workshop—Tuesday, May 10th, 14:00 to 15:00—with Danielle Lévesque in the Bistro
• Danielle is a nutritionist and dietitian and is a member of l’Ordre des diététistes du Québec
• She is also a member of the Diabète Québec’s scientific committee and was a long-time member of the editorial board of the revue Diabète Québec : Plein Soleil

 
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how proper nutrition and exercise can help you better manage your diabetes.
 
And remember…For more information about an exercise program that’s right for you, come to the gym or contact Randall Lightbown at 514-585-8892.


[1] “A Prospective Study of Weight Training and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Men”, Archives of Internal Medicine, online August 6, 2012.

[2] “Muscle-Strengthening and Conditioning Activities and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Study in Two Cohorts of US Women”, PLOS Medicine, January 14, 2014

[3] “Weight training may help to prevent diabetes, a new study shows.”  The New York Times, August 7, 2012