Benefits of Exercise for Type 2 Diabetes

It has long been realised that exercise is beneficial for managing type 2 diabetes, but what type of exercise is best, how much do you need to do, how often and how safe is exercise? Over the course of the next few weeks I'll answer all these questions. Today, I'm going to start by looking at the benefits of exercise.

The main benefits of exercise for type 2 diabetes are increased glucose uptake and the improvement in insulin sensitivity. Glucose uptake is the use of glucose, which comes from our foods, to be converted into energy to power the muscles. The muscles contain insulin receptors which must first be unlocked by the presence of insulin to allow the glucose through.

Exercise helps manage type 2 diabetes in a number of ways. In simple terms, exercise increases enzymes that help convert fat to energy, and enable more glycogen (the form to which sugars are converted in the body) to be stored within the muscles and liver. Exercise also improves pancreas and liver function and reduces fat stored around the abdominal region which in turn reduces secretion of harmful toxins, known as adipocytokines, into the blood stream.

Glucose is transported along both insulin dependent pathways and insulin independent pathways. A pre-diabetic with mild insulin resistance can find that exercise improves the functioning of both these pathways. Studies have found exercise to be more effective than metformin in treatment of pre-diabetes. With full blown insulin resistance, exercise still has a great benefit in being able to improve glucose up take through the insulin independent pathways. The benefit of improved insulin sensitivity last for around 24 to 48 hours after exercise and therefore regular exercise is extremely important for managing diabetes.


The amount of circulating glucose is also increased in times of stress. There's a pretty good reason for this. When our ancestors spent their lives hunting and surviving in a much harsher environment, stressors would tend to be events like seeing a potential dinner and chasing after it, or seeing something that saw us a a potential dinner and getting away from it.

The initial psychological stress response would be quickly followed by a fight or flight response. Along with many other chemical reactions in the body, glucose levels increase. This glucose provides fuel for the brain to help us react quickly along with energy for the muscles to enable us to move quickly. Compare this to today's stressors. Being stuck in a traffic jam, talking to an irate customer on the phone. With no outlet for the stress response, circulating glucose levels increase. Regular exercise can help make us more resilient to stress. Yet another way in which exercise helps manage type 2 diabetes. I also recommend various relaxation techniques that can be used at any time, even whilst sat in a traffic jam.

So, now you know why you should be more active, but what type of exercise should you do? Join me next week to find out.