Exercise for Prediabetes: Your Chance of Preventing Diabetes
Healthful Vitality | 09/25/2021 | By NP Contributor | Exercise for Prediabetes
Chronic lifestyle disorders like diabetes, hypertension are on the rise. Such metabolic disorders are also associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and even cancers.
Most of these disorders result from faulty lifestyles, especially wrong dietary choices and lack of exercise. Although it may seem logical that altering dietary choices and exercising may help, but it is not always the case.
Researchers think that lifestyle interventions like exercise fail to help adequately, as these interventions are just introduced too late.
In recent years, researchers are paying particular attention to people living with borderline conditions. Thus, now there is a diagnosis like prediabetes, prehypertension. These diagnoses say that there is still a chance of preventing diabetes or hypertension without medications.
Understanding prediabetes
Since researchers know that lifestyle interventions like exercise programs work best when introduced earlier, before irreversible changes happen in the body, there is a need to diagnose prediabetes reliably.
As per the latest guidelines, a person is living with prediabetes or borderline diabetes if A1C is between 5.7% to 6.5%, or fasting plasma glucose is between 100 mg/dl to 126 mg/dl. The third way to diagnose prediabetes is OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test). One is prediabetic if OGTT results are between 140 mg/dl to 200 mg/dl.
Prediabetes is still not full-blown diabetes. However, it means that a person is at a considerable risk of developing diabetes soon. Prediabetes is reversible with the help of lifestyle interventions.
Studies show that 10.5% of US adults are living with diabetes, and about 30% are living with prediabetes. But, regretfully, only about 15% of all living with prediabetes are aware of their condition. Therefore, it only highlights the importance of understanding prediabetes better and its early identification.
Role of exercise in reversing prediabetes
It is perhaps the best time to start exercising. Diabetes prevention studies carried out in the last three decades prove beyond any doubt that exercise combined with dietary measures is not only highly effective but more effective than medications.
For example, one diabetes prevention study found that exercise and moderate weight loss of about 7% can help reduce metabolic syndrome (high cholesterol, blood pressure) in 41% of cases versus just 17% cases in those who took metformin.
Over the long run, exercise is also more effective than metformin in preventing the development of full-blown diabetes.
The recommendation is quite simple, do 150 minutes of exercise a week or even more like 300 minutes. And also aim for moderate weight loss of 7%.
Usually, it is a good idea to combine different exercises for maximum benefit. Thus, aerobic exercises using the repetitive motion of large muscles like jogging, cycling, and swimming are excellent. To this, add strength training exercises with bodyweight or machines. In addition, adding balance and flexibility exercises like yoga and tai chi have their importance.
To conclude, one should understand that the role of exercise is not limited to diabetes prevention or weight loss. Physical training is quite suitable for cardio and respiratory health. In addition, exercise elevates mood, improves brain health. Above all, regular exercise considerably enhances the quality of life.
(Also Read: Lifestyle Intelligence for a Healthy Lifestyle and How to Start a Healthy Lifestyle)