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Can exercise lower blood sugar?

A new study says "maybe."

Type 2 diabetes is in the news so often that I worry my warnings to patients about its consequences sometimes fall on deaf ears. But with more than 23 million Americans suffering from all types of this disease, we can't ignore its impact. Complications caused by elevated blood sugar include heart and blood vessel disease, eye disease, kidney disease, nerve disease and infections. Impotence, nerve pain, dental disease and skin disease also are more common among those with diabetes.

Lifestyle habits can go a long way in controlling type 2 diabetes. A diet low in refined sugars, weight control, exercise, stress management and even adequate sleep all are recommended as part of a comprehensive approach to managing the illness. Of those, one of the most important is physical activity.

Public-service ads on TV feature popular athletes extolling the virtues of exercise. These modern-day gladiators look good on the screen, but have their active lifestyles had any effect on their blood sugar?

An interesting study published in the May 27, 2009, issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association" took a look at this. The study evaluated the prevalence of heart risk factors (including blood sugar) in 504 players from 12 NFL teams who were compared with a sample of other men to see how their risk factors rated. One finding was the difference in fasting blood sugar between the two groups. Even though the NFL players weighed on average at least 60 pounds more than the men in the control group, their average fasting blood sugar was lower.

Blood sugar was just one of the heart risks evaluated in the study. The football players also were less likely to smoke, had similar cholesterol levels and had slightly higher blood pressure readings than the comparison group.

More study is needed, but it does seem that, when it comes to diabetes, lifestyle habits matter.

Tedd Mitchell, M.D., is the president and CEO of Dallas' Cooper Clinic.