FIRST MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2023 No347 THE PEARL JUBILEE ISSUE

HEALTH & WELLBEING
World Diabetes Day is observed on November 14th each year to raise awareness about diabetes, a chronic
disease that affects millions of people globally. Organized by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and
the World Health Organization (WHO), this day aims to promote diabetes advocacy, education, and
prevention. The date was chosen to honor the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, one of the scientists credited
with the discovery of insulin. World Diabetes Day encourages people to unite in addressing the challenges of
diabetes, promoting healthier lifestyles, and improving access to care for those living with the condition.
TACKLING TYPE 2 DIABETES
EXCERCISE AND DIABETES
TYPE 2 DIABETES: SITTING CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS WITH
BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS, SO GET UP AND MOVE
Many people spend large portions of their day sitting, which can cause a range of health problems. But
many may not realise that sitting too much can also worsen certain health conditions, such as type 2
diabetes. Research shows that spending too much time sitting can cause problems with blood sugar
levels – making it even more important for those with type 2 diabetes to get plenty of physical activity
into their day, write Aye Chan Paing and Sebastien Chastin, at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Type 2 diabetes causes the level
of sugar (glucose) in the blood
to become too high. For
someone with diabetes, high sugar levels in
the blood can cause serious damage to your
body, including the heart, kidneys, eyes,
feet and nerves. Controlling blood sugar
levels is important for avoiding the risk of
serious health problems.
Lifestyle changes, such as adjusting diet
and physical activity, and diabetes
medications, such as metformin or gliptin,
are used to lower blood sugar levels. Yet
following recommended diets and taking
diabetes medications aren’t always effective
at controlling blood sugar levels, as our
research found. This shows us there’s a need
to re-think diabetes care and management.
As type 2 diabetes can be different for
everyone, how well a person controls their
blood sugar levels can be influenced by
different factors, such as age, gender,
activity levels, diet and weight. This makes
it important to target new, modifiable
lifestyle factors – such as how much time is
spent sitting.
Research we’ve done, which looked at 37
adults with type 2 diabetes, found that over
two weeks, prolonged sitting was associated
with high blood sugar levels. But we also
found that when people stood up or walked
around between periods of sitting, they had
lower blood sugar levels. Other studies have
also had similar results.
Our research has also shown that sitting
less or breaking up periods of sitting with
bouts of activity could be a simple way to
manage blood sugar levels – including
high sugar levels before and after breakfast,
which is a common problem for people
with type 2 diabetes. We found that simply
walking more often could be beneficial to
blood sugar control throughout the day.
In fact, walking every 15 minutes for as
little as three minutes each time at a
person’s usual pace could be enough to
help them control their blood sugar – and
could even be as effective as standard
diabetes medications. Other research has
shown that keeping bouts of sitting shorter
than 15 minutes is better for blood sugar
levels.
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