Twenty years ago, Time magazine published a cover story chronicling the victories of modern life. Better automobiles, bigger homes, and faster computers made the list! Despite these advances, life is not getting better for everyone! For over two decades, type 2 diabetes (i.e., insulin resistance) has been increasing across all age groups. It's called the "Black Death of the twenty-first century" due to its devastating health impacts.[1] This disease increases your risk for a fatal heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and loss of limbs (toes, feet, or legs). As striking as these truths are, they're exponentially worse when applied to young and middle-aged adults! Not surprisingly, more teenagers and young adults are developing type 2 diabetes.[2]
Imagine turning 18 and as you learn about the diabetic drugs you'll be taking for the rest of your life. And yes, these miracle drugs can lead to collateral damage (i.e., undesirable side effects). A 2011 study published in the British Medical Journal found that a commonly prescribed diabetes medication increased heart attack risk and deaths[3]. The growing prevalence of diabetes is nothing less than a train wreck! It increases the cost of medicine while decreasing healthspan (the number of quality years you live).
How did things get so bad? According to the American Diabetes Association and other health agencies, type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease! In other words, it's related to our health habits (exercise, eating, etc.). Fortunately, you can reverse this killer by modifying your lifestyle. Lifestyle medicine (i.e., eating sensibly and exercising) is considered the gold standard for preventing and treating diabetes. Some of the most robust evidence to date comes from a study called the Diabetes Prevention Program.[4] The 2.8-year study (a randomized clinical trial) found that diabetes incidence in 3,150 high-risk adults was reduced by 58% to 71% with intensive lifestyle interventions compared to 31% with a diabetes drug. The study's success led to the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP).[5] The NDDP's recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and offered at medical centers that meet rigorous standards. The NDPP focuses on the same behaviors that produced overwhelming success in the original study. It recommends healthy eating and exercise to achieve a 7% weight loss.
The eating plan focuses on reducing calories by consuming fewer processed foods. Adding unprocessed foods (whole fruits, vegetables, etc.) helped study participants reduce calories without getting hungry. These simple yet effective changes promoted medically significant weight loss. The exercise portion of the program recommends at least 150 minutes of brisk physical activity per week. In addition to physical activity, Strength Training also plays an essential role in managing diabetes. The American College of Sports Medicine recently issued updated exercise guidelines for preventing and treating type 2 diabetes. The guidelines published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise recommend adults perform high-intensity Strength Training versus low to moderate-intensity Strength Training because it's more effective at lowering blood sugar.[6] The updated recommendations support previous research demonstrating the effectiveness of Strength Training in lowering Hemoglobin A1c (i.e., blood sugar).[7] The American Diabetes Association also recommends diabetics' Strength Train to control their blood sugar.
Most adults are unaware of the connection between Strength Training and blood sugar. It's unfortunate, given that pre-diabetes (slightly elevated blood sugar) and diabetes contribute to three of the leading causes of death in the United States. A systematic review by Gordon et al. found that Strength Training effectively improves blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity.[8] Research suggests that building muscle enhances blood sugar control by increasing the body's ability to store and process glucose (i.e., blood sugar). According to Dr. Tim Church of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, "The biggest consumer of sugar in the blood is muscle. If you keep your muscles happy, they chew up massive amounts of sugar [9]." Given the disabling effects of type 2 diabetes (e.g., heart attack, stroke, amputation, etc.), adding Strength Training to your lifestyle is one of the best decisions you can make!
If you or someone you know is interested in a Free Trial Workout please go HERE.
Stay Strong,
Richard J. Wolff, RDN
References
1. Greger, M., Stone, G. 2015. HOW NOT TO DIE. New York, NY. Flatiron Books.
2. Diabetes in Youth. http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/librar/reports/reportcard/diabetes-in-youth
3. British Medical Journal, 2011;342:d1309.
4. Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. The Lancet 347 (9702), 1677-1686, 2009.
5. 10-Year follow-up of diabetes incidence and weight loss in the DPP Outcomes Study. The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9702, 14-20 November 2009, Pages 1677-9702.
6. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: February 2022 – Volume 54 – Issue 2 – p 353-368.
7. Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome 1, 27 (2009). http://doi.org/10.1186/1758-5996-1-27.
8. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2009;83:157-175.
9. Exercise and Health: Making Sense of Conflicting Recommendations. Timothy Church, MD, MPH, Ph.D. 2009, SCAN Symposium, Dallas, TX.