Latest news with #DonaldHensrud
Observer
31-05-2025
- Health
- Observer
How to manage blood sugar with exercise
These days, more and more of us have to worry about our blood sugar. Some 38 million Americans have diabetes and more than two times that number have pre-diabetes. Many millions more have some form of insulin resistance, which can make you tired, irritable and even dizzy. And all of these conditions become more common as we age. The good news is that exercise can help. It's at least as important as your diet for preventing and treating insulin resistance and diabetes. It can also help you lose weight, which is often the most important step in levelling out blood sugar. Exercise has several unique ways to help your body process glucose, said Dr Donald Hensrud, a specialist in preventive medicine and nutrition; and medical editor of 'The Mayo Clinic Diet.' Although any exercise is good for you, the type of movement you choose and when you do it can play a big role in how much it helps. Here are some things you should think about when planning workouts, according to experts. The causes of diabetes are complex. Family history, genetics, weight and diet certainly play a role. But it's clear that exercise can dramatically lower your blood glucose, regardless of your diagnosis and improve how well your body uses insulin. In fact, research has shown that exercise is generally more effective at preventing diabetes than medication is (though it is important to use all types of treatment). During exercise, your muscle cells can more easily use the glucose in your blood. This lowers blood sugar directly and can also reduce the fat around your organs, an important risk factor for diabetes and insulin resistance, said Dr Gerald I Shulman, a professor of medicine and physiology at the Yale School of Medicine. In particular, studies show that regular high-intensity interval training or moderate continuous exercise can make a difference, reversing pre-diabetes in almost 40% of the participants — although it could take months or even years for many people to see long-lasting changes. Any movement is better than none and simply going for a walk can have benefits. But according to research, the two most effective ways to lower your blood sugar through exercise are high-intensity workouts and strength training. A recent study found that strength training was significantly more effective for controlling blood sugar levels than aerobic exercise for people with Type 2 diabetes and this likely holds true for other people worried about their blood sugar, Shulman said. Also, both aerobic exercise and strength training create more mitochondria, which can help fight Type 2 diabetes, but weightlifting appears to be slightly more effective than aerobic exercise, assuming you are pushing yourself, Shulman said. Strength training is especially important for older people, since insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes accelerate the normal loss of muscle and strength that comes with age, particularly for women. While walking is good exercise for the heart, it generally won't build much muscle, said Michael Joseph Gross, author of 'Stronger: The Untold Story of Muscles in Our Lives.' The way you strength-train is also important, he added. To be most effective, the weights should feel heavy. A systematic review of the research found that lifting challenging weights helped lower blood sugar more effectively than low-intensity strength training. Consider alternating your strength training session with high-intensity interval training, which has been shown to be especially effective in managing blood sugar for people with pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. If you have diabetes, consult a doctor before radically changing your fitness regimen. If you do not have insulin resistance, the time of day you work out doesn't matter much. But for people with pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes, studies suggest that afternoon exercise tends to help reduce blood sugar levels. That's because blood sugar rises and falls in regular patterns over the course of the day and as the day goes on, the body becomes less insulin sensitive. Thus afternoon exercise is typically less likely to cause dangerous glucose spikes. Experts recommend working out at least three days per week, with no more than two days in a row without activity. For people with insulin resistance, including diabetes, the best time to exercise is about 30 minutes after starting a meal to prevent blood sugar spikes. If morning workouts fit better with your schedule, try not to eat too many carbohydrates beforehand and start the day with a small meal of protein and healthy carbohydrates like fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Pre-diabetes and new-onset diabetes are much more responsive to lifestyle changes like diet and exercise than longer-term cases, Hensrud said, so it's important to address insulin resistance as soon as possible. 'I tell people with new diabetes they're in control,' he said, 'and the most important thing to do is decrease weight through dietary changes and exercise.' — The New York Times BLURB The causes of diabetes are complex. Family history, genetics, weight and diet certainly play a role. But it's clear that exercise can dramatically lower your blood glucose, regardless of your diagnosis and improve how well your body uses insulin.
Observer
27-05-2025
- Health
- Observer
How to manage your blood sugar with exercise
These days, more and more of us have to worry about our blood sugar. Some 38 million Americans have diabetes, and more than two times that number have prediabetes. Many millions more have some form of insulin resistance, which can make you tired, irritable and even dizzy. And all of these conditions become more common as we age. The good news is that exercise can help. It's at least as important as your diet for preventing and treating insulin resistance and diabetes. It can also help you lose weight, which is often the most important step in leveling out blood sugar. Exercise has several unique ways to help your body process glucose, said Dr. Donald Hensrud, a specialist in preventive medicine and nutrition and medical editor of 'The Mayo Clinic Diet.' Although any exercise is good for you, the type of movement you choose and when you do it can play a big role in how much it helps. Here are some things you should think about when planning workouts, according to experts. Exercise is essential for managing blood sugar. The causes of diabetes are complex. Family history, genetics, weight, and diet certainly play a role. But exercise can dramatically lower your blood glucose, regardless of your diagnosis, and improve how well your body uses insulin. Research has shown that exercise is generally more effective at preventing diabetes than medication is (though it is important to use all types of treatment). During exercise, your muscle cells can more easily use the glucose in your blood. This lowers blood sugar directly and can also reduce the fat around your organs, an important risk factor for diabetes and insulin resistance, said Dr. Gerald I. Shulman, a professor of medicine and physiology at the Yale School of Medicine. In particular, studies show that regular high-intensity interval training or moderate continuous exercise can make a difference, reversing prediabetes in almost 40% of the participants, although it could take months or even years for many people to see long-lasting changes. Prioritize strength training and intensity. Any movement is better than none, and simply going for a walk can have benefits. But according to research, the two most effective ways to lower your blood sugar through exercise are high-intensity workouts and strength training. A recent study found that strength training was significantly more effective for controlling blood sugar levels than aerobic exercise for people with Type 2 diabetes, and this likely holds true for other people worried about their blood sugar, Shulman said. Also, both aerobic exercise and strength training create more mitochondria, which can help fight Type 2 diabetes, but weightlifting appears to be slightly more effective than aerobic exercise, assuming you are pushing yourself, Shulman said. Strength training is especially important for older people, since insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes accelerate the normal loss of muscle and strength that comes with age, particularly for women. While walking is good exercise for the heart, it generally won't build much muscle, said Michael Joseph Gross, author of 'Stronger: The Untold Story of Muscles in Our Lives.' The way you strength-train is also important, he added. To be most effective, the weights should feel heavy. A systematic review of the research found that lifting challenging weights helped lower blood sugar more effectively than low-intensity strength training. Consider alternating your strength training session with high-intensity interval training, which is especially effective in managing blood sugar for people with prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes. If you have diabetes, consult a doctor before radically changing your fitness regimen. When is the best time to work out? If you do not have insulin resistance, the time of day you work out doesn't matter much. But for people with prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes, studies suggest that afternoon exercise tends to help reduce blood sugar levels. That's because blood sugar rises and falls in regular patterns over the course of the day, and as the day goes on, the body becomes less insulin sensitive. Thus afternoon exercise is typically less likely to cause dangerous glucose spikes. Experts recommend working out at least three days per week, with no more than two days in a row without activity. For people with insulin resistance, including diabetes, the best time to exercise is about 30 minutes after starting a meal to prevent blood sugar spikes. If morning workouts fit better with your schedule, try not to eat too many carbohydrates beforehand and start the day with a small meal of protein and healthy carbohydrates like fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Prediabetes and new-onset diabetes are much more responsive to lifestyle changes like diet and exercise than longer-term cases, Hensrud said, so it's important to address insulin resistance as soon as possible. 'I tell people with new diabetes they're in control,' he said, 'and the most important thing to do is decrease weight through dietary changes and exercise.' This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Coffee Made in Workplace Machines Is Worse for Your Cardiovascular Health Than Home-Brewing Methods, Research Shows
Your coffee consumption at work may be stirring up trouble for your heart. A new study — published in the scientific journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases — analyzed samples from 14 coffee machines in four different workplaces in Sweden to determine whether office coffee raises cholesterol compared to brewing coffee at home. 'Intake of insufficiently filtered coffee during working hours could be an overlooked factor for cardiovascular health due to its effect on plasma cholesterol concentrations,' researchers concluded. This means coffee from your office machines might contain more cholesterol-raising compounds, similar to the samples in this study. 'Based on the concentrations of cafestol and kahweol in investigated machine coffees, thoroughly filtered coffee seems like the preferable choice for cardiovascular health,' researchers continued. 'Accordingly, filtered coffee should be preferred, also in workplace settings.' Related: Man Says His Sister Is 'Quite Upset' at Him for Drinking Coffee in Front of Her Young Son Who 'Likes to Copy Me' Researchers studied samples from three types of office machines: brewing machines, liquid-model machines and instant machines. 'Brewing machines produce coffee from whole or ground beans in approximately [10 to 30 seconds], as the hot water mixes with the coffee and passes a metal filter,' the study noted. 'Liquid-models can provide a cup within seconds and do not use a filter, but instead mix a liquid coffee concentrate with hot water. Instant machines mixes use instant, freeze-dried coffee with hot water.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The researchers compared those workplace methods to other commonly used methods to brew and paper-filter coffee at home: drip-brewed coffee, percolator, French press/cafetière and boiled coffee. Comparing the machines to these more thoroughly filtered methods, the researchers recommended that 'replacing three cups of brewing machine coffee with paper-filtered coffee five days per week was estimated to reduce LDL cholesterol' (a.k.a. bad cholesterol) over time. Related: Majority of U.S. Teens Are Not Drinking, Smoking or Using Marijuana, Study Finds Other studies have touted the benefits of coffee — in moderation — to cardiovascular, cognitive, metabolic and neurological health. Dr. Donald Hensrud wrote for the Mayo Clinic that 'drinking coffee may be linked to a lower risk of: Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease among some groups of people; metabolic syndrome and chronic kidney disease; liver cancer and liver disease, including cirrhosis; and gallstones and kidney stones.' Read the original article on People
