Issue Date: July 13, 2008
Don't worry, keep walking
Recent diabetes studies aside, exercise is still key to treating the disease.
Consistent exercise is crucial to controlling diabetes.
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It's been said of doctors that we may not always be right -- but we're never uncertain. Nothing illustrates this better than a couple of recent articles in the "New England Journal of Medicine." Both articles deal with diabetes, a topic of great concern to millions of Americans. Both present results from large studies designed to investigate whether aggressively lowering blood sugar improves health.
On one hand, aggressive blood sugar treatment was associated with a 21% reduced risk of developing kidney disease, says the Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron Modified Release Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) trial.
But on the other hand, aggressive blood sugar control not only didn't help lower the risk of heart complications from diabetes, it also may have raised the risk of death, reports the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Study Group (ACCORD) trial.
So what is the average person supposed to do? In situations like this, the most prudent course of action is to take care of yourself. Let science hash out the meaning of studies like these, but don't wait to improve your own health.
One of nature's most effective tools to help your body deal with diabetes is available to all -- but used by too few. It offers medicinal value greater than many drugs, improves other risks that often accompany diabetes (high blood pressure, high triglycerides, excess body fat), costs little and betters quality of life. The tool? Exercise.
Its benefits for the human body are undeniable. Every sound treatment program for diabetes includes exercise. And while a commitment is necessary, the key to success is not the intensity of your activity, but the consistency of your routine. In fact, you are much better off following a routine of moderate activity on a regular basis than you are "knocking yourself out" infrequently or sporadically.
Of course, like other doctors, I may not always be right, but I'm never uncertain. So don't just take my word for it. The American Diabetes Association's website at diabetes.org has more information on the role exercise plays in helping to control diabetes, as well as tips for getting started.
Contributing Editor Tedd Mitchell, M.D., president of Dallas' Cooper Clinic, writes HealthSmart every week.
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