HEALTH - Bone and joint problems associated with diabetes

Bone and joint problems associated with diabetes

By Mayo Clinic Staff

If you have diabetes, you're at increased risk of various bone and joint disorders. Certain factors, such as nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy), arterial disease and obesity, may contribute to these problems — but often the cause isn't clear.

Charcot joint

What is it?

Charcot (shahr-KOH) joint, also called neuropathic arthropathy, occurs when a joint deteriorates because of nerve damage — a common complication of diabetes. Charcot joint primarily affects the feet.

What are the symptoms?

You might have numbness and tingling or loss of sensation in the affected joints. They may become unstable, swollen or deformed.

How is it treated?

If detected early, progression of the disease can be slowed. Limiting weight-bearing activities and use of orthotic supports to the affected joint and surrounding structures can help.

Diabetic hand syndrome

What is it?

Diabetic hand syndrome, also called cheiroarthropathy, is a disorder in which the skin on the hands becomes waxy and thickened. Eventually finger movement is limited. What causes diabetic hand syndrome isn't known. It's most common in people who have had diabetes for a long time.

What are the symptoms?

You may be unable to fully extend your fingers or to press your palms together flat.

How is it treated?

Better management of blood glucose levels and physical therapy can slow the progress of this condition.

Osteoporosis

What is it?

Osteoporosis is a disorder that causes bones to become weak and prone to fracture. People who have type 1 diabetes have an increased risk of osteoporosis.

What are the symptoms?

Osteoporosis rarely causes symptoms in the early stages. Eventually, when the disease is more advanced, you may experience loss of height, stooped posture or bone fractures.

How is it treated?

A healthy lifestyle, including weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, and eating a well-balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D — including supplements if needed — are the best ways to address this condition.

Osteoarthritis

What is it?

Osteoarthritis is a joint disorder characterized by the breakdown of joint cartilage. It may affect any joint in your body. People who have type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of osteoarthritis, likely due to obesity — a risk factor for type 2 diabetes — rather than to the diabetes itself.

What are the symptoms?

Osteoarthritis may cause joint pain, swelling and stiffness, as well as loss of joint flexibility or movement.

How is it treated?

Treatment involves exercising and maintaining a healthy weight, caring for and resting the affected joint, medications for pain, and surgery in rare cases. Complementary treatments — such as acupuncture and massage — also may be helpful.

DISH

What is it?

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), also called Forestier disease, is a hardening of tendons and ligaments that commonly affects the spine. DISH may be associated with type 2 diabetes, perhaps due to insulin or insulin-like growth factors that promote new bone growth.

What are the symptoms?

You may experience pain, stiffness or decreased range of motion in any affected part of your body. If DISH affects your spine, you may experience stiffness in your back or neck.

How is it treated?

Treatment involves managing symptoms, usually with pain relievers (Tylenol, others), and in rare cases may require surgery to remove bone that has grown due to the condition.

Dupuytren contracture

What is it?

Dupuytren contracture is a deformity in which one or more fingers are bent toward the palm. It's caused by thickening and scarring of connective tissue in the palm of the hand and in the fingers. Dupuytren contracture is common in people who have had diabetes for a long time, perhaps due to the metabolic changes related to diabetes.

What are the symptoms?

You may notice thickening of the skin on the palm of your hand. Eventually, you may not be able to fully straighten one or more fingers.

How is it treated?

If you have pain, a steroid injection may help by reducing inflammation. Surgery, collagenase enzyme injection or a minimally invasive technique called aponeurotomy to break apart the thick tissue are other options if the condition prevents you from being able to grasp objects.

Frozen shoulder

What is it?

Frozen shoulder is a condition characterized by shoulder pain and limited range of motion. It typically affects only one shoulder. Although the cause is often unknown, diabetes is a common risk factor.

What are the symptoms?

Frozen shoulder causes pain or tenderness with shoulder movement, stiffness of the joint, and decreased range of motion.

How is it treated?

If started early, aggressive physical therapy can help preserve movement and range of motion in the joint.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/diabetes/art-20049314?

DIABETES - How becoming a vegetarian can CURE diabetes: Plant-based diets improve blood sugar levels, scientists claim

How becoming a vegetarian can CURE diabetes: Plant-based diets improve blood sugar levels, scientists claim

• Vegetarian and vegan diets can significantly improve blood sugar levels
• Removing animal fats helps improve insulin sensitivity 
• Lowered levels of blood-protein glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 
• Effect was comparable to drugs which prevent digestion of carbohydrates 
• Changes to diet can be used as an alternative treatment for type 2 diabetes 
• 
  

By MADLEN DAVIES FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 11:01 GMT, 24 November 2014 | UPDATED: 11:41 GMT, 24 November 2014

Switching to a vegetarian diet could help reverse diabetes, a new study claims.

Millions of people battling the killer disease could improve their blood sugar levels by eradicating meat from their weekly shop.

Scientists believe removing animal fats could help cure the condition, leaving patients free from the disease.

They said changes to diet could be used as an alternative treatment for type 2 diabetes. 

An analysis of previous studies revealed removing animal fats from diet helps improve insulin sensitivity. 

+3

A vegetarian diet can significantly improve blood sugar levels and manage type 2 diabetes, a study found

Eating a vegetable-based diet reduced levels of a key blood-protein called glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c).

For people with diabetes, the higher the HbA1c in their blood, the greater the risk of developing diabetes-related complications such as nerve damage, eye problems, and heart disease. 

The study found a vegan or vegetarian diet lowered HbA1c by an average of 0.4 percentage points, and up to 0.7 points.

This is comparable to the effects of drugs given to help patients with diabetes control their blood-sugar levels, researchers said.

'A diet change beats a pill,' said dietitian Susan Levin, one of the study's authors.

'A plant-based diet improves blood sugar, body weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol all at the same time, something no drug can do.'

Dr Neal Barnard, of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, added: 'Plant-based diets work in a different way than "conventional" diabetes diets.

'We now know that type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance. Getting the animal fat — and fats in general — out of the diet helps repair insulin's ability to function.'

He told the Daily Express: 'We tell patients they can eat as much as they want – and as much whole wheat pasta, whole grains, and brown rice as they want – as long as they're not eating ­animal products or lots of added oils.

+3

Eating a vegan or a vegetarian diet lowered levels of a key blood protein. The effect was comparable to drugs which prevent the 

digestion of carbohydrates

Find out if you're at risk of diabetes with the Four Ts test

'The diet is simple and clear, and it's easier than ever to follow. With a plant-based diet, we could help tackle the disease once and for all.'

He said the 'side effects' are beneficial, people lose weight, blood pressure improves and cholesterol levels drop.

And he added 'best of all', vegan diets remove the tedious routine of taking medication and injecting insulin.  

Across the world, 347 million people have diabetes, according to the World Health Organization. They predict it will be the seventh leading cause of death by 2030.

The condition occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to take sugar out of the bloodstream, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces.

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Removing animal fats helps improve sensitivity to insulin, a hormone which controls blood sugar

Over time diabetes can lead to raised blood sugar levels, which causes damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

This damage can lead to blindness, amputation, heart disease, kidney failure and stroke.

As part of the new study, researchers analysed the dietary patterns of 255 adults with type 2 diabetes in the U.S, Brazil, and the Czech Republic.

They found people who ate low-fat vegan diet, or a diet of egg and dairy products but no meat, lowered HbA1c by an average of 0.4 percentage points and up to 0.7 points in some studies.

This is comparable to the same effect of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, drugs given to patients that help control their blood-glucose levels by preventing the digestion of carbohydrate, they said.

Writing in the report, the researchers said: 'Vegetarian (including vegan) diets have benefits for cardiovascular health, hypertension, body weight, and plasma lipids, and also provide nutritional advantages compared with omnivorous diets.'

A vegetarian diet also contains fewer calories, therefore helping patients manage their weight, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

Plant-based diets tend to be higher in fibre, which slows the rate sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream, researchers added.

Swapping meat proteins for soy proteins have also been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and lower cholesterol. 

Therefore, a vegetarian diet could be used as a 'treatment alternative for type 2 diabetes, they concluded.

The research was published in the journal Cardiovascular Diagnosis And Therapy.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

COFFEE - Do Coffee and Caffeine Help Manage Diabetes and Six Important Facts

Monday, February 10, 2014 
By Clara Schneider MS, RD, RN, CDE, LDN


Morning coffee-it is the only way to get the day started for many people all over the world. Recently many articles about coffee have been released in the news. Many people are asking, what’s the story-is coffee a good choice for people trying to prevent diabetes? Is there information about the effects of caffeine and coffee if one has diabetes? We’ll discuss six interesting studies and facts about coffee and caffeine. 


Fact 1: Caffeine and memory - A recent small study carried and published in 2014  at Johns Hopkins University with 73 subjects concluded that as little as 200 milligrams of caffeine enhances a special type of memory called pattern separation for up to 24 hours. When a person distinguishes the differences between two similar items that are not identical, they are exercising pattern discrimination. (1,2,3)

The Mayo Clinic has an interesting graph depicting the amounts of caffeine in many popular drinks. 

Fact 2: Preventing type 2 diabetes - In both men and women, increased caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption is strongly associated with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers at The Harvard School of Public Health just released an evaluation (in 2014) of twenty-eight studies from around the world. The risk of developing diabetes with drinking no coffee or coffee at different amounts was reviewed. Studies took place with a total of 1,109,272 subjects with outcome risk for diabetes type 2 of which there were 45,335 cases of diabetes. The studies followed the participants from 10 months to 20 years. 

There was a 33 percent drop in associated risk of developing type 2 diabetes when six cups of coffee (caffeinated or decaffeinated) was consumed per day.  The researchers did not find significance between the relative risks of developing diabetes by drinking one cup/day caffeinated coffee (9 percent reduction) vs. decaffeinated coffee (6 percent reduction). The risk reduction is significant however, when comparing these individuals to non-coffee drinkers. It was concluded that people who are sensitive to caffeine may enjoy the health benefits of coffee with decaffeinated options. The researchers also stated that drinking coffee should be only one part of a strategy to prevent diabetes. People also need to be mindful of their weight and keep physically active. (4,5)

Fact 3: Coffee drinking and mortality - A large study of more than 40,000 men and women between the ages of 20 and 87 years of age, published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings (2013), found that people who drank more than 28 cups of coffee per week have a 21 percent increase in mortality from death from all causes. Subjects younger than 55 years of age drinking this amount of coffee, have a 50 percent increase in mortality from all causes. This increased rate of death was not found in people over the age of 55 years. Very importantly however, the researchers could not claim evidence of causality. Subjects who consumed more coffee were also likely to smoke and had lower levels of cardiac fitness. The study team found that the evidence “suggests that heavy coffee drinkers may experience additional mortality risk through potential genetic mechanisms or because of confounding through the deleterious effects of other risk factors with which coffee drinking is associated.” While the research team warns younger people to avoid heavy coffee consumption of more than four cups per day, they also note further studies are needed on the long term effects of coffee consumption. (6)

Fact 4: Athletes with type 1 diabetes - A very small study of adult athletes with type 1 diabetes was presented in 2010 at the American Diabetes Association conference. This study involved five athletes with type 1 diabetes (mean age 38 years of age) who needed multiple, daily injections of insulin. In the study, the athletes had insulin with a meal. Two hours after their meal they consumed five mg/kg of caffeine or a placebo in a drink followed by a 30 minute rest period. This was followed by 40 minutes of measured exercise. The experiment was repeated so all the subjects had data measuring their response to both the placebo and the caffeine to study their need for supplemental glucose to cover the exercise. 

The research team found that on the days the subjects had caffeine, they did not need any supplemental glucose. When the placebo was given, their blood glucose values fell and glucose was needed.

This is a very small study and the research team argues for a large scale study to take place. The team also noted that the amount of caffeine used was high. They plan another study with a lower dose of caffeine. The authors mentioned that when a person with type 1 diabetes has unplanned exercise and cannot reduce their insulin dose, caffeine may reduce the extra calories needed to treat hypoglycemia. Please note again, more research needs to be done in this intriguing area. (7)

Fact 5: Coffee and type 2 diabetes - A small study of brewed coffee drinkers (five men and five women) mean age 63 years with type 2 diabetes was conducted at Duke University (2007) to evaluate the effect of caffeine on blood glucose. The participants' diabetes was managed with diet, exercise and oral agents. Their A1c values were approximately 6.4 percent. None of the participants required insulin as a medication, smoked or used psychotropic medications. The study compared the effects of 500 mg/day of caffeine with a cross over placebo control conducted on different days. The dose of caffeine or placebo was given divided between breakfast and lunch. A continuous blood glucose monitoring device was worn on study days. The results showed that when the participants consumed caffeine, their daytime blood glucose concentrations were higher and they had an exaggerated postprandial glucose response. It was also interesting to note that the subjects exhibited reduced overnight glucose levels when the caffeine was given compared to the placebo.  Future studies need to be done. (8)

Fact 6: Coffee consumption during pregnancy - The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommends pregnant women consume, no more than 300 mg of caffeine (approximately three cups of coffee) per day. This amount is generally not associated with miscarriage and stillbirth which has an association with consuming caffeine in large quantities. (9)

These studies are interesting to read. As you can see, more research needs to be performed on coffee consumption in people with diabetes. Most studies done with people diagnosed with diabetes are small. Make sure to ask your medical team if coffee is for you and if you have any limits for your particular case. Negative effects from drinking coffee can include sleeplessness, nervousness, a fast heart rate, and muscle tremors. (10) For people with diabetes, from the studies listed it can also cause changes in your blood glucose.

Source: http://www.diabetescare.net/authors/clara-schneider/do-coffee-and-caffeine-help-manage-diabetes-and-six-important-facts?utm_source=Outbrain#ixzz3IO7bGByg

BLOOD SUGAR - How You Can Control Blood Sugar

Thursday, October 09, 2014

By Clara Schneider MS, RD, RN, CDE, LDN

People are told when they are diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes that they need to control blood sugar or blood glucose values. Actually, everyone with diabetes needs to control their blood glucose. This article will focus on 8 important measures to help you do just this!

Know your blood glucose goals and if you are within these established levels

Ask your doctor if he/she would like you to strive for goals recommended by the American Diabetes Association, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists or if other goals are determined by your doctor.
To know your blood glucose levels you must carry a glucometer with you and test your blood. If you do not have a glucometer, call your insurance to see if they cover meters (of any particular brand) and how many strips would be provided. Most likely you will need a doctor’s prescription to get your supplies.  Make sure you are properly trained to use your meter. Wash your hands with soap and water before testing and dry thoroughly. It is best to perform your blood glucose tests as follows:

First thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything (water is OK) for at least 8 hours. The result will be your fasting glucose level. This level will tell you what your blood glucose is without eating. It is often the first one doctors will try controlling.

The American Diabetes Association recommends fasting levels for non-pregnant adults with diabetes of 70-130 mg/dl (3.9-7.2 mmol/L). (1) 

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) recommends below 110 mg/dl (6.1 mmol/L). (2) 

Your physician needs to know what your fasting levels are in order to evaluate if a medication is needed to control overnight levels.

One to two hours after the first bite of a meal -(referred to as "Post-prandial")

To properly control your diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends achieving results less than 180 mg/dl ( 10.0 mmol/L) 1-2 hours after the first bite of a meal. (1)

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) recommends achieving results less than 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L) 2 hours after the first bite of a meal. (2)

Pre-prandial (before eating a meal) I tell my patients, if they are having a problem controlling their blood glucose after a meal, they must know what their blood glucose is before eating that meal. Did they start with a high glucose level before the meal or was it good going into the meal but high after the meal? If it was good before the meal and high after, it may be due to what they ate or perhaps because they forgot their prescribed mealtime medication.

Know how to count carbohydrates

See your diabetes educator for help in the basics. Ask for a meal plan and learn how to count the carbohydrates you eat at meals and snacks. Here is more information on reading food labels for carb-counting.

Watch a video on carbohydrate counting. 

If you eat more carbohydrates than recommended, usually your blood glucose will be elevated. If you don’t eat enough, you might develop hypoglycemia or low blood glucose.

Know how exercise affects your blood glucose

Test your blood glucose before you exercise, during and after. If you are on insulin or another medication that can cause a low, you need to know how exercise affects you. Always carry your meter, strips, glucose tabs and your cell phone when exercising. For information on how to treat a low blood glucose read my blog - How to Treat Low Blood Glucose.  

Illness affects your blood glucose

If you are ill, call your doctor and report how you are feeling. It is helpful for the doctor to have a complete picture of what is going on. Have your blood glucose levels available and take your temperature. What to do if you’re ill with diabetes.  

Stress and lack of sleep can affect your blood glucose levels

Think about what is causing the stress. Test your blood glucose levels to see how it affects your blood glucose. Talk to your diabetes team about ways to help control stress and ways to relax to help you sleep.

Body hormones

Women of child bearing age will find that there is a change in their blood glucose levels at different times of the month. Chart your blood glucose levels and ask your physician if you need to make any changes based on your results.

Medications

Talk to your doctor and pharmacist when starting a new medication. Some medications that are not taken for diabetes will affect your blood glucose levels. Ask your medical team if there is a substitution that does not affect the levels or if not, do you need a diabetes medication added or adjusted to control your glucose.

Dehydration

Make sure you drink the amount of fluids and the kind of fluids that your medical team advises. For most people this is mainly water. Dehydration will most likely increase your blood glucose levels.

To stay within your blood glucose goals your need to know what your goals are and what affects your levels. When your levels are out of target, ask yourself what the cause can be. Talk to your medical team to see what recommendations they have to get you back within target. Blood glucose control is important to help you prevent complications of diabetes. We at diabetescare.net wish for you healthy glucose readings so you can control your diabetes! 

Source: http://www.diabetescare.net/

BLOOD SUGAR - Can Drinking Water Help Flush Out the Sugar in Your Body?

Last Updated: Jan 19, 2014 | By Tina M. St. John, M.D.

Drinking water is healthful but does not reduce your blood sugar. Photo Credit Chris Clinton/Photodisc/Getty Images

Sugar is akin to gold, metabolically speaking. Your body meticulously conserves blood sugar, or glucose, because your brain, muscles and many other tissues use it as their primary fuel. As the kidneys filter your blood, glucose flows with water into the filtrate. Under normal circumstances, however, virtually all of the filtered sugar is reabsorbed into your bloodstream. Therefore, drinking water does not help flush sugar from your body.

Sugar and Your Kidneys

Your kidneys normally process approximately 34 to 46 gallons of fluid from your bloodstream daily. As blood passes through your kidneys, processing units called nephrons filter out water, glucose, sodium, potassium and other small dissolved chemicals. Special glucose transporters reabsorb the sugar, preventing its loss in the urine. Your kidneys' conservation of sugar is necessary to prevent large-scale losses of this essential body fuel.

Glucosuria

Some glucose may spill into your urine if you have a high blood sugar level. Diabetes is the most common cause of glucose in the urine, also known as glucosuria. Certain prescription medications also sometimes cause variable glucose spillage in the urine. You may experience increased thirst and urination if you have diabetes and glucosuria. However, drinking additional water will not flush the excess sugar from your bloodstream.

Metabolic Fate of Excess Sugar

If you consume too much sugar, your body stores it for future use. The storage form of glucose, called glycogen, accumulates primarily in your liver and muscles. If you have enough stored glycogen, excess sugar is converted into a form of fat called triglycerides. Fat cells throughout your body absorb the triglycerides. This storage mechanism contributes to the accumulation of body fat if you regularly consume too much sugar. The only way to rid your body of excess sugar, whether it is stored as glycogen or fat, is to burn more calories than you consume. You can accomplish this with a reduced-calorie diet, increased physical activity or both.

Dietary Sugar

Many sources of dietary sugar are obvious, such as candy, regular soda, cakes, cookies and other desserts. However, you may not recognize the amount of sugar present in other common foods. Ready-to-eat cereals, snack bars, fruit juices and snacks, flavored yogurt, frozen dinners, salad dressings, bottled sauces, gourmet coffee beverages and many other processed foods may contain high levels of sugar. To reduce the amount of sugar in your diet, cut back on sweets, regular soda and candy. If you purchase processed foods, check the nutrition facts to determine the grams of sugar per serving. Plan your meals and snacks to minimize your consumption of added sugar.

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/

DIABETES - Exercise Intensity and Blood Sugar Control

Researchers have known for a long time that exercise is very helpful for controlling diabetes and its complications. Exercise helps lower blood sugar levels in the body similar to insulin. Regular exercise also helps improve insulin sensitivity so insulin can do its job better. What hasn't been known is the kind of exercise that is most helpful in lowering high blood sugar – high intensity or moderate intensity activities.

To answer this question, researchers put a group of overweight diabetics (they all had high blood sugar levels) on three different intensity exercise programs and monitored their blood sugar levels to see which program lowered the blood sugar the most. The first day the overweight diabetics did no activity, ate standard control meals for the day, and monitored their blood sugar levels for 24 hours. This "no intensity" sedentary day became the standard to compare low and high intensity activities against.

Next, the study subjects rode a stationary bicycle at a moderate pace for an hour, and then monitored their blood sugar levels for the next 24 hours. Between each exercise testing, the researchers allowed three days of rest. Lastly, they exercised at a high intensity on the stationary bicycle for 30 minutes and monitored blood sugar levels. Although they exercised for different durations, both exercise routines burned the same number of calories on a bicycle ergometer because the intensity changed. 


Here is what the researchers found. 

Both forms of exercise lowered blood sugar levels compared to the sedentary day, but the moderate intensity activity lowered blood sugar levels the most. The moderate intensity exercise session lowered the prevalence of high blood sugar levels during the 24 hours by 50 percent compared to no exercise. The high intensity exercise session only lowered the prevalence of high blood sugar during the 24-hour period by 19 percent even though they both burned the same number of calories in exercise.

This was a surprising but welcome finding. The lower intensity exercise was more effective than high intensity activity in reducing high blood sugar levels. This is encouraging because most overweight diabetics don't like to exercise at high intensity levels and moderate activities are more likely to be continued by people who are sedentary and first starting an exercise program.

An earlier study published by these same authors found that resistance training was also beneficial in lowering fasting blood sugar levels. In this case, one weight lifting exercise session lowered the prevalence of high blood sugar levels by about 40 percent compared to non-exercisers. Interestingly, weight training also proved to be more effective in lowering the prevalence of high blood sugar than high intensity aerobic activity



The bottom line is this. 

All physical activity is beneficial in lowering blood sugar levels and their health consequences, but moderate activities such as brisk walking or moderate cycling, and weight training are most effective. If your goal is to lower blood sugar levels, moderate activity may be more helpful.

What if you are not a diabetic, does this principle still apply? Yes, by all means! Regular physical activity (moderate and intense activity) will help prevent the development of diabetes by keeping blood sugar levels lower, weight under control, and enhancing insulin resistance. If you don't like jogging or other intense activities, moderate activities are still very helpful. Anytime you help prevent high blood sugar, you also lower the risk of heart disease and cancer. In diabetics, lowering blood sugar also helps prevent blindness, kidney disease, and infections. For good health, aim for at least 30-60 minutes of moderate physical activity or 20-30 minutes of vigorous activity most days of the week. Also include weight training at least twice per week.


Reference: 
Manders RJ, et al. Low intensity exercise reduces the prevalence of hyperglycemia in type two diabetes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2010 Feb;42(2):219-225.


Source: http://www.wellsource.com/

DIABETES - Exercises to Burn Excess Glucose

Last Updated: Oct 09, 2013 | By Heather Hitchcock

Brisk walking can help to burn excess blood sugar. Photo CreditPixland/Pixland/Getty Images

Regular exercise can help your body respond better to insulin, which can lower blood sugar levels. Exercise can lower blood glucose and possibly reduce the amount of medication you need to treat diabetes or even eliminate the need for medication. This is beneficial for everyone -- not just diabetics -- because excess blood sugar levels can contribute to weight gain.

Diabetics

Diabetics need to take special precautions before beginning an exercise program. Prior to exercising, discuss with your doctor the type of exercise you will be doing. Additionally it is crucial to track your blood sugar before, during and after exercise. Your records will reveal how your body responds to exercise and will help to prevent potentially dangerous blood sugar fluctuations. Beginners to exercise should start out slowly and gradually increase exercise duration and intensity over time.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise is the most effective way to burn excess blood sugar from the body. For maximum benefit, aerobic exercise should be done at least three to five times a week, for 20 to 30 minutes each time. Beginners may find it easier to space out aerobic exercise throughout the day into shorter burst such as two 15-minute sessions, or three 10-minute sessions, instead of completing it all at once.

Low-Impact Exercise

Low impact exercise is the safest form of aerobic exercise for diabetics to perform. Exercises might include brisk walking, working on an elliptical trainer or low impact aerobics. Some diabetics may have trouble with foot neuropathy may prefer nonimpact aerobic exercise such as swimming or stationary cycling. No matter what exercise you choose, it is important remain physically active throughout the day. Regular activity is what reduces blood sugar levels.

Anaerobic Exercise

Anaerobic exercise -- exercise performed in shorter duration such as weightlifting or sprinting -- is not as effective at burning excess blood sugar as aerobic exercise, but it is beneficial in reducing body fat and increasing muscle mass. Strength training two to three times a week can increase muscle mass, which can raise your metabolism, thus helping to burn excess blood sugar.

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/