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Online Letters: Observations

Blood Glucose Responses to Type, Intensity, Duration, and Timing of Exercise

  1. Sheri R. Colberg, PHD1⇑,
  2. Manuel J. Hernandez, MEng2 and
  3. Fatima Shahzad, BS2
  1. 1Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
  2. 2Diabetes Hands Foundation, Berkeley, California.
  1. Corresponding author: Sheri R. Colberg, scolberg{at}odu.edu.
Diabetes Care 2013 Oct; 36(10): e177-e177. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc13-0965
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The Big Blue Test (BBT) is an annual initiative by the Diabetes Hands Foundation to raise awareness of the importance of physical activity in managing diabetes. Individuals with diabetes voluntarily exercise and record self-monitored blood glucose levels. During the 2012 BBT, 5,157 diabetic participants (∼90% insulin users) anonymously entered exercise type, intensity, duration, time elapsed since last meal, and blood glucose readings before and after one or more bouts of exercise separately through www.BigBlueTest.org or an iPhone app.

Based on a prior BBT (1), exercise choices were walking, running/jogging, cycling, conditioning machines, dancing, and other exercise (nonspecified). Intensity was moderate or vigorous. Duration was ≤10, 11–19, 20–29, or ≥30 min. The timing of exercise after the last meal was 30 min and 1, 2, or ≥3 h ago. Data were reported as mean ± SD.

Walking was reported most frequently (48.5%), followed by other exercise (18.7%), running/jogging (11.9%), cycling (8.8%), conditioning machines (6.4%), and dancing (5.7%). Overall, mean blood glucose levels were lower (−31.3 ± 47.1 mg/dL, 16.8%) after exercise, although only 75.8% decreased, 8.8% were unchanged, and 15.4% increased. Walking resulted in the smallest decrease (−25.0 ± 42.4 mg/dL) compared with nonspecified exercise (−33.5 ± 50.0 mg/dL), running/jogging (−40.1 ± 55.1 mg/dL), cycling (−42.4 ± 48.8 mg/dL), conditioning machines (−35.9 ± 48.8 mg/dL), and dancing (−37.4 ± 45.3 mg/dL, P < 0.05). Moderate exercise resulted in a mean decrease of −32.7 ± 44.1 mg/dL, whereas blood glucose only decreased −28.0 ± 53.6 mg/dL after vigorous activity of all durations (P < 0.05). Longer exercise duration generally resulted in increasingly greater decreases in blood glucose for exercise intensities combined (P < 0.05) and moderate exercise (P < 0.001) but not necessarily for vigorous exercise alone (Table 1). Exercise undertaken 1 and 2 h after eating led to a similar decrease (−40.1 ± 47.2 and −40.1 ± 45.9 mg/dL, respectively), but both were more than exercise done for either 30 min (−28.6 ± 50.6 mg/dL) or ≥3 h (−21.2 ± 44.0 mg/dL) afterward (P < 0.05). The largest decrease followed ≥30 min of exercise undertaken 1 h (−49.3 ± 53.1 mg/dL) or 2 h (−46.4 ± 49.8 mg/dL) after eating (P < 0.001) compared with 30 min (−34.3 ± 53.5 mg/dL) or ≥3 h (−19.6 ± 47.0 mg/dL).

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Table 1

Mean change in blood glucose levels (mg/dL) by exercise intensity and duration

Although the 2012 BBT confirms that participation in varying types, intensities, and durations of exercise generally lowers blood glucose levels, engaging in just a 10-s sprint before or after moderate activity can prevent a fall in glycemia in type 1 diabetes because of a greater release of glucose-raising hormones from intense activity, suggesting that exercise variations play a role in the expected response (2,3). However, most exercise that is longer in duration reduces blood glucose levels and may require regimen changes to prevent hypoglycemia (4). Because 50 min of moderate exercise undertaken 60 or 180 min after breakfast carries a similar risk of exercise-induced hypoglycemia (5), the timing of exercise after the last meal must be considered. In conclusion, varying types, intensities, and durations of exercise generally lower blood glucose levels in most individuals, although exercise of longer duration is likely most effective, and elapsed time since eating should be considered.

Acknowledgments

No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

S.R.C. wrote the manuscript, contributed to the study design, and analyzed the data. M.J.H. contributed to the study design and collected the data through the Diabetes Hands Foundation. F.S. analyzed the data. S.R.C. is the guarantor of this work and, as such, had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Parts of this study were presented in abstract form at the 73rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, Chicago, Illinois, 21–25 June 2013.

The authors thank Andreina Davila, Emily Coles, and Emily Walton of the Diabetes Hands Foundation, Berkeley, California, for assistance in formulating the data collection mechanisms for the BBT and collecting and managing all the data.

  • © 2013 by the American Diabetes Association.

Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ for details.

References

  1. ↵
    1. Colberg SR,
    2. Hernandez MJ
    . The Big Blue Test: effects of 14 minutes of physical activity on blood glucose levels. Diabetes Care 2013;36:e21
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  2. ↵
    1. Bussau VA,
    2. Ferreira LD,
    3. Jones TW,
    4. Fournier PA
    . A 10-s sprint performed prior to moderate-intensity exercise prevents early post-exercise fall in glycaemia in individuals with type 1 diabetes. Diabetologia 2007;50:1815–1818
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
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    1. Bussau VA,
    2. Ferreira LD,
    3. Jones TW,
    4. Fournier PA
    . The 10-s maximal sprint: a novel approach to counter an exercise-mediated fall in glycemia in individuals with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2006;29:601–606
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    1. Zisser H,
    2. Gong P,
    3. Kelley CM,
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    5. Riddell MC
    . Exercise and diabetes. Int J Clin Pract Suppl 2011;65(170):71–75
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    1. Dubé MC,
    2. Weisnagel SJ,
    3. Prud’homme D,
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    . Is early and late post-meal exercise so different in type 1 diabetic lispro users? Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2006;72:128–134
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
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Blood Glucose Responses to Type, Intensity, Duration, and Timing of Exercise
Sheri R. Colberg, Manuel J. Hernandez, Fatima Shahzad
Diabetes Care Oct 2013, 36 (10) e177; DOI: 10.2337/dc13-0965

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Blood Glucose Responses to Type, Intensity, Duration, and Timing of Exercise
Sheri R. Colberg, Manuel J. Hernandez, Fatima Shahzad
Diabetes Care Oct 2013, 36 (10) e177; DOI: 10.2337/dc13-0965
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