PERSONAL TRAINER
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In a recent report dated 7 July 98 it was reported by Reuters that regular exercise can lead to improved glucose (blood-sugar) tolerance in older adults -- which can reduce their risk of developing diabetes, according to researchers.
The effects of moderate levels of aerobic exercise are even more important in older people with high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) and insulin resistance, they report. "Moderate-intensity aerobic training has a favorable effect on glucose tolerance," conclude investigators at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.
Glucose tolerance -- the ability of the body to regulate blood sugar levels -- decreases with age, but excess weight gain and decreased physical activity also play a role. Decreased glucose tolerance is believed to be a step in the development of type 2 (adult onset) diabetes. Since obesity has been linked to impaired glucose tolerance, many experts have assumed that only those exercise regimens which resulted in weight loss could bring the condition under control.
That may not always be the case, however. In the Yale study, published in the July issue of The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers placed 16 elderly men and women on a four month regimen of either aerobic exercise or non-aerobic yoga and stretching. Those in the aerobic exercise group were encouraged to walk and run on mini-trampolines equipped with handrails.
Those who participated in the non-aerobic regimen, four months of stretching and yoga, saw no changes in fitness level or glucose metabolism, according to a statement issued by the journal. The four month aerobic regimen produced no "appreciable weight or fat loss" in elderly participants. However, blood tests revealed that people in the aerobic exercise group who had impaired glucose tolerance at the beginning of the study showed a 25% improvement in the way their body handled glucose. The researchers also noted that blood levels of free fatty acids fell by 24% in the aerobic exercise group, leading the researchers to suggest that "training-related improvements in glucose regulation... may be modulated by decreases in (free fatty acid) concentrations."
The study team also conclude that "use of the mini-trampoline allows a safe, enjoyable, and effective mode of exercise for older people, who may otherwise be at risk for musculoskeletal injury from more traditional forms of weight-bearing aerobic exercise." SOURCE: The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 1998;46:875-879.
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In another report on Tuesday January 19 1:42 PM ET :
NEW YORK, Jan 19 (Reuters Health) -- Inactive men face nearly four times the risk of developing diabetes compared with fit, physically active men, according to researchers. ``We found strong evidence that high cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with reduced risk for... type 2 (non-hereditary) diabetes,'' write researchers at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas. Their findings are published in the January 19th issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
During their 6-year study, the investigators tracked the cardiorespiratory fitness of more than 8,600 men over 30 years of age. They compared that data to measurements of the men's fasting blood-sugar levels -- a marker for diabetes.
The researchers report that the least-fit 20% of their subjects ``had a 1.9-fold higher risk for impaired fasting glucose, (a precursor to diabetes),'' and ``a 3.7-fold greater risk for diabetes'' compared with the fittest 40% of men in the study group. Overall, 149 of the men in the study developed type 2 diabetes over the course of the study.
The Dallas team concludes that ``a sedentary lifestyle may contribute to the progression from normal fasting glucose to impaired fasting glucose and diabetes.''
The findings lend further support to the general recommendation that individuals get regular exercise. ``Public health recommendations'' that stress exercise as a method of reducing diabetes risk ``should be implemented,'' the study authors conclude.
SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine 1999;130:89-96.
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