Latest news with #preventivemedicine
CNA
3 days ago
- Health
- CNA
How to manage your blood sugar with exercise through strength and interval training
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. And while 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 TO MANAGING BLOOD SUGAR 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 (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 percent of the participants – although it could take months or even years for many people to see long-lasting changes. PRIORITISE 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 exercises are high intensity workouts and strength training. A recent study found 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 su g ar, Dr Shulman said. Also, both aerobic exercise and strength training create more mitochondria, which can help fight Type 2 diabetes, but weight lifting appears to be slightly more effective than aerobic exercise, assuming you are pushing yourself, Dr Shulman said. Strength training is especially important for older people, since insulin resistance and Type 2 di abetes accelerate the normal loss of muscle and strength that comes with age, particularly for women. And 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 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 man ageingblood sugar for people with pre-diabetes 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 pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes, studies suggest that afternoon exercise tends to help reduce blood sugar levels. This is 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, Dr 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.'
WebMD
5 days ago
- Health
- WebMD
Your 3-Item Prepregnancy Health Checklist
May 28, 2025 — Planning a pregnancy? Go ahead, envision it: the birth, the name, the color scheme of the nursery. But have you thought about squeezing in your cardiologist appointments between school pickups and soccer practice? Probably not, but maybe you should: More moms than ever are at risk of heart problems around the time their child turns 10. They may even watch a tiny blood-pressure cuff get wrapped around their toddler's arm — because childhood high blood pressure is linked to mom's health during pregnancy. In fact, a flurry of new science provides stark details about how prepregnancy health can impact your child's lifelong health — and your own during the prime parenting years. 'More women now than ever are entering pregnancy with risk factors such as obesity,' said Jaclyn D. Borrowman, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. About 40% of American women have obesity, and that could hit 60% by 2050, she said. It's not just weight. A new analysis looked at eight factors affecting pregnancy health: sleep, diet, physical activity, blood pressure, prepregnancy diabetes, body mass index, cholesterol, and smoking history. 'While some may be aware of these risks, many aren't,' Borrowman said. 'Even when they are, it's not always easy to act on that knowledge.' The first step in pregnancy planning, she said: Meet with your doctor before getting pregnant. Here are three ways new research says you can optimize your own and your baby's lifelong health. 1. Manage Your Weight Pregnancy is often called a 'window into your future health.' Pregnancy-related health problems like gestational diabetes or high blood pressure often lead to chronic health problems later in life. A new study connects the dots from prepregnancy health to pregnancy complications and to — about 11 years later — serious risk factors for heart trouble. The key link: obesity heading into pregnancy, the researchers found. 'Even in those without pregnancy complications, we saw that obesity before pregnancy was linked to a higher risk of heart disease down the road,' said Borrowman, the study's author. On average, the mothers in the study were around 30 years old when they gave birth and about 41 when heightened heart disease risk factors showed up in their medical records. In a separate new study, a mother's weight during the first trimester was the strongest health factor (out of eight) associated with developing a gestational blood pressure condition. Put simply: The lower the mother's body mass index, the lower the odds of developing these problems. That means every little bit of prepregnancy weight loss or weight management during pregnancy can make a big health impact. Obesity is a complex disease with multiple causes, Borrowman stressed. It's not just about lifestyle but also 'things like family history, health conditions like thyroid problems or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and where someone lives,' she said. If you're struggling, don't go it alone. Your primary care doctor can help guide you. 2. Improve Your Blood Pressure 'It's not all about weight,' said researcher Michael C. Honigberg, MD, a cardiologist at Mass General and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. While his study (mentioned above) found weight to be the strongest factor linked to blood pressure problems during pregnancy, it also showed that even small reductions in blood pressure before pregnancy can make a big difference — even for women without diagnosed high blood pressure. Women whose systolic blood pressure (top number) was between 120 and 129 had 1.5 times greater odds of developing a blood-pressure-related pregnancy problem, compared with women who had normal blood pressure (when the top and bottom numbers are below 120 and 80, respectively). Another new study showed that children whose mothers had high blood pressure during pregnancy were significantly more likely to have elevated blood pressure during childhood, and the problem worsened as the child got older (the study included measurements from ages 2 to 18). Children were at the highest risk if their mother had both obesity and high blood pressure during pregnancy. Taken together, Honigberg said, these latest studies show that 'much of the risk associated with these pregnancy complications reflect prepregnancy cardiometabolic and cardiovascular health. Not all of it, but a lot of it.' One overlooked problem with prepregnancy assessments, he said: Young women look healthy. 'We often ignore or brush off cardiometabolic risk factors in young patients because they're young, so they're fine,' he said. Conclusions about health risks of mothers and their children point toward 'a slightly glib summary of the way the medical system thinks about risk factors in young adults.' 3. Improve a Little Bit of Everything About Your Health Honigberg's study created a score for pregnant women based on Life's Essential 8 — a set of health metrics defined by the American Heart Association to measure heart health. These include sleep, diet, physical activity, blood pressure, prepregnancy diabetes, body mass index, cholesterol, and smoking history. The team then calculated women's odds of developing blood pressure problems during pregnancy, including preeclampsia and eclampsia. They analyzed how genetic predisposition compared to having a poor score for all eight health factors. The upshot: Don't let genetics discourage you. Higher scores of Life's Essential 8 were linked to lower odds of gestational blood pressure problems — regardless of genetic risk. True, weight and diabetes status were among the biggest single drivers. But by analyzing all health factors during the first trimester, this study uncovered other areas to focus on before and during pregnancy. For example, increasing nightly sleep from less than four hours to at least seven can greatly lower risk, and so can increasing physical activity. 'Making lifestyle changes can be difficult, but small changes can make a huge difference in your overall health,' Borrowman said. 'Pregnancy can be an exciting time, but it also comes with a lot of unknowns and that can be stressful. The truth is, we all do the best we can with the information and resources we have. 'If you're currently pregnant and reading this, please know that taking the time to learn and care about your health already shows your deep commitment to giving yourself and your baby the best possible start. That matters and it makes a difference.'
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
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 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 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.' And while 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 to managing blood sugar. 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 (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 percent 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 exercises are high intensity workouts and strength training. A recent study found 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, Dr. Shulman said. Also, both aerobic exercise and strength training create more mitochondria, which can help fight Type 2 diabetes, but weight lifting appears to be slightly more effective than aerobic exercise, assuming you are pushing yourself, Dr. 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. And 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 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. 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 pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes, studies suggest that afternoon exercise tends to help reduce blood sugar levels. This is 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, Dr. 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.'
