Diabetes is a highly prevalent and pernicious disease. It is estimated by the International Diabetes Federation that 330 million people will have diabetes by 2025. Diabetes is a disease characterized by chronically elevated blood sugar levels. In addition to it's relationship to cardiovascular disease, diabetes can lead to other negative health outcomes such blindness, amputations and kidney failure, just to name a few.
Types of Diabetes
There are numerous forms of diabetes caused by a multitude of factors. However, type I and type II diabetes are the most common forms. According to the American Diabetes Association, type II diabetes constitutes over 90 percent of all diabetes cases. Type I diabetes is a form of the disease in which the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are damaged or destroyed. Type II diabetes results from insufficient insulin action, often because of increased insulin resistance throughout the body.
Nutrition
Bodybuilding diets promote food choices that can positively impact the prevention or treatment of diabetes. Typically, bodybuilding diets are high in protein and low to moderate in fat consumption. They also contain low to moderate GI grains, fibrous vegetables and a healthy dose of fruits. All of these attributes in combination can help control glucose and encourage blood glucose management.
Resistance Training
Lifting weights is a great way to combat and prevent type II diabetes. The muscles are the primary consumers of glucose in the body, followed by the brain. By increasing muscle mass, the storage depot for consumed carbohydrate grows larger. Published in "Diabetes Care," Anoop Misra, MD and his colleagues proved that a resistance training program performed by people that already have type II diabetes can improve insulin sensitivity by 75 percent, even without concurrent muscle growth.
Cardiovasclar Exercise
Another great tool in the bodybuilding toolbox is cardiovascular exercise. Performed at a sufficient volume and intensity, cardiovascular exercise is also great at improving insulin sensitivity. Exercise at almost any intensity is appropriate, but a higher volume is required for lower intensity exercise. It is also a great idea to do both resistance exercise and cardiovascular exercise. The American Diabetes Association recommends both, suggesting that their benefits are cumulative.
The Power of Exercise
Although exercise is great at improving insulin sensitivity throughout the body, there are other mechanisms which make exercise a powerful treatment for diabetes. Muscular contraction actually results in glucose uptake independent of insulin action. Exercise has been shown in increase AMPK levels in the body by 300 percent. AMPK is a key regulatory enzyme in an alternative glucose uptake pathway.
References
- "Diabetes Care"; Global Burden of Diabetes, 1995-2025; Hillary King, MD et al.; September, 1998.
- "Diabetes Care"; Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus; ADA; January 2009.
- "Diabetes Care"; Effect of Suprvised Progressive Resistance-Exercise Training Protocol on Insulin Sensitivity, Glycemia, Lipids, and Body Composition in Asian Indians with Type 2 Diabetes; Anoop Misra, MD et al.; July 2008.
- "Diabetes Care"; Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes - 2009; ADA
- "The American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism"; Combining Short-term Metformin Treatment and One Bout of Exercise Does Not Increase Insulin Action in Insulin Resistant Individuals; Carrie G. Sharoff et al.; January 2010.
