Type 2 diabetes is usefully described as a “lifestyle disease” because it most commonly affects those who are overweight and inactive. It can also occur in those who have poor diets. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the cells in your body don’t respond to insulin (a sugar-lowering substance) properly or the pancreas produces insufficient levels of insulin to meet the body’s demand. This lead to a build-up of glucose (sugar) in the blood stream.
A study published in April 2017 from the University of Turku in Finland looked at High Intensity Training (HIT) and insulin sensitivity.
The study monitored a group men in their 40s and 50s, all of whom were diabetic or prediabetic—meaning their blood sugar levels were close to being considered at diabetic levels—and examined what happened when they added HIT into their training.
In only two weeks of HIT training, the group of diabetic and prediabetic men saw their blood sugar levels, their insulin sensitivity and their glucose metabolism improve dramatically. In fact, their blood sugar was reduced to the same level as the control group, which included healthy men with regular blood sugar levels.
The Turku study is certainly not the only one that suggests HIT improves health. Previous research also shows exercise can lower blood sugar levels as much as diabetic medication can. This one simply suggests HIT is a particularly powerful type of training when considering metabolism and insulin.
Unfortunately, developing this disease can lead to multiple other health conditions and diseases. To reduce the risk of developing this disease you can add a High Intensity Training session into your fitness regime – only 25 minutes once a week can make a huge difference*