Intermittent High-Intensity Exercise Does Not Increase the Risk of Early Postexercise Hypoglycemia in Individuals With Type 1 Diabetes
- Kym J. Guelfi, BSC (HONS)1,
- Timothy W. Jones, MD23 and
- Paul A. Fournier, PHD1
- 1School of Human Movement and Exercise Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- 2Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Princess Margaret Hospital, Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia
- 3Centre for Child Health Research, Telethon Institute of Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to Kym J. Guelfi, BSc (Hons), School of Human Movement and Exercise Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy., Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia. E-mail: kguelfi{at}cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Exercise is generally recommended for individuals with type 1 diabetes because it is associated with numerous physiological (1,2) and psychological (3,4) benefits. However, participation in exercise can also increase the risk of experiencing severe hypoglycemia, during both exercise (5) and recovery (6). Unfortunately, there are no evidence-based guidelines for safe participation in intermittent high-intensity exercise (IHE), which characterizes most team and field sports, manual labor occupations, and spontaneous play in children. This is because the response of blood glucose levels to this type of exercise is not known, as previous research on intermittent exercise has employed exercise protocols that do not accurately reflect the high-intensity work–to–recovery ratios observed in intermittent sports (7,8). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of IHE that simulates the high-intensity work–to–recovery ratios observed in intermittent sports on blood glucose levels and glucoregulatory hormones in individuals with type 1 diabetes in order to assess the risk of hypoglycemia.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Eight volunteers with type 1 diabetes (aged [±SD] 18.6 ± 2.1 years, BMI 22.1 ± 1.5 kg/m2, Vo2peak 42.4 ± 7.3 ml · kg−1 · min−1, type 1 diabetes duration 7.0 ± 4.6 years, and HbA1c 7.0 ± 0.4%), who were free of complications and not taking …
