Exercise is critical to diabetes management
with Mark Klosiewski, R.N., Director, and Robert Hansich, Certified Diabetes Education and Senior Medical Exercise Physiologist at Columbia St. Mary's Diabetes Treatment Center
Robert Hanisch, a certified diabetes educator and senior medical exercise physiologist at Columbia St. Mary's Diabetes Treatment Center, has seen some pretty remarkable success stories. Because he is the only exercise physiologist in Wisconsin focusing exclusively on diabetes treatment, Hanisch's patients come from far and near.
"With an individualized exercise program, many patients are able to dramatically decrease the amount of insulin or other oral diabetes medications they need to take. This is because their bodies become more sensitive to the insulin they are still making and begin to work much better," he notes. "Their bodies begin to behave more like they did before they developed diabetes. It's something you don't see in other conditions."
Along with monitoring blood sugar levels and adhering to a healthy eating plan, exercise is an important part of a successful treatment plan for those diagnosed with diabetes. Active muscles absorb glucose more efficiently. Exercise is also important in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a condition for which persons with diabetes are particularly at risk.
Diabetes treatment should include cardiac rehab components
A survey by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) reported physicians rank diabetes as the greatest risk factor for heart disease - above smoking, obesity and high blood pressure.
People with diabetes and no previous history of coronary disease were six times more likely than their non-diabetic counterparts to die of a heart attack. People with diabetes are also three to four times more likely to suffer from permanent disability as a result of a heart attack, according to findings published in
The New England Journal of Medicine.
"It is recommended that someone with diabetes who has not had a heart attack be treated the same way as someone who has already had a heart attack," says Klosiewski.
It has long been known that complications from diabetes can result in poor circulation, sometimes resulting in loss of a toe or even foot. But those same circulation issues contribute to risk of heart attack.
An ADA/ACC survey revealed that 68 percent of people with diabetes don't even know that heart disease is a major risk with their condition.
In diabetes, a thickening of the arterial walls, or atherosclerosis, can reduce the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart and brain, sometimes resulting in a heart attack or stroke. Other complications with diabetes, such as hypertension and high cholesterol levels, are known risk factors for CVD.
Countering the risks
One way to counter these risks is to be tested for lipid levels every year. The ADA recommends that people with diabetes keep their LDL (low-density lipoproteins), or "bad" cholesterol, lower than 100. A low-fat diet is recommended, as is closely monitoring blood pressure with an optimal blood pressure of 120/70.
Many physicians recommend an aspirin a day to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. Stress management programs may be helpful. And, of course, a regular exercise program is important, ideally with at least 30 minutes of activity at least five days a week.
"All the components of a cardiac rehabilitation program should be done from day one of a diabetes diagnosis," says Klosiewski.
Read more about exercise and heart care for people with diabetes.
