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perspiration and diabetes The sweat of exercise helps control blood sugar. By Kimberly A. PorrazzoPublished: March, 2004

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Editor's Note: This is part of a yearlong series, Defy Diabetes. Exercise. Some love it. Some hate it. But no matter how you feel, breaking a sweat is perhaps the magic bullet when it comes to controlling blood sugar levels and warding off type 2 diabetes. By raising your heart rate for 45 minutes just three days a week, you can avoid the disease, or if already diagnosed, ease the need for diabetes medication. Why is exercise so important? Its impact on good health is seen on many levels. Not only does regular exercise help keep our weight in check (obesity is linked to type 2 diabetes), it also benefits the heart, which becomes particular vulnerable to heart disease once diabetes sets in. Diabetics face a risk four times greater than non-diabetics for developing cardiovascular disease, which is the cause of death among most of those afflicted. Here is why exercise works so well to control blood sugar: When we eat anything, but particularly foods with known sugars like bakery products, pasta and even root vegetables, the sugar moves through our bloodstream and into the cells of our muscles. It's stored there as glucose to be used as energy. When we exercise, we utilize that stored glucose and make room for more sugar to enter muscle cells, clearing it from the bloodstream, thus reducing blood sugar levels. In contrast, a sedentary lifestyle encourages the buildup of sugar in the blood because it simply has nowhere else to go (the muscle cells are full of glucose that isn't being used), and so it remains in the bloodstream. Excess sugar is damaging to many of our organs, including the eyes, the kidneys and the heart. Consequently, diabetes is known as the "disease of diseases." The American Diabetes Association recommends the following guidelines for an exercise plan: A 5- to 10-minute warmup of slow walking, stretching or cycling; a 30- to 45-minute aerobic workout at least three times per week - more if trying to lose weight; and a moderate program of weightlifting at least twice a week, designed to work the large muscle groups of the upper and lower body. Note: Consult with your physician before undertaking any exercise program; only your physician can advise you on medication.

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