Weight Loss and Wellness

There has been a lot of controversy about whether aerobic (treadmill, bike) or anaerobic (weight training) exercise is better for blood sugar control in diabetes. In the latest issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine (September 18, 2007), Canadian researchers did an experiment to determine which one is better.

The researchers studied 251 people with type-2 diabetes and divided them into four groups. The first group did 45 minutes of aerobic training three times a week, the second group did 45 minutes of resistance training three times a week, a third group that did an hour and a half of aerobic training and resistance training three days a week and a fourth group did no exercise.

At six months, they measured the hemoglobin A1c (a three month sugar average) and discovered that resistance training improved it by 0.38%, aerobic exercise improved it by 0.51% and aerobic and anaerobic exercise improved it by 0.97%. That’s as much improvement as most people will get with medications without the side effects and with more benefits.

If you are diabetic, a one percent improvement in hemoglobin A1c lowers your risk of heart attack or stroke by 15 percent to 20 percent and can reduce your risk of kidney, eye and foot problems by 37 percent.

My personal opinion is that while exercise is especially important if you have diabetes, it is important for everyone - especially since our metabolism and muscle mass starts to decrease in our twenties. Exercise is one of the cornerstones to staying young.

So whether or not you have diabetes, get clearance from your doctor and start exercising today.