This entry was posted 11 years, 6 months ago.
December 9, 2011
Regular physical activities are essential and crucial for preventing a great deal of serious diseases and health conditions. At that, many of us fail to do exercises, thinking that 10-15 minutes of jogging or swimming will not help improve our health. This idea is incorrect and, according to the findings of a recent study, even 1 minute of active exercises a day (like performing short cycle sprints, active jogging and so on) can substantially lower our risks of suffering from such serious and quite common disease as type 2 diabetes. Moreover, there are chances that such short active physical activities can assist even in treating diabetes (though more studies on this point are necessary).
During the experiments carried out by a group of experts from Department of Health at the University of Bath, the participants were asked to perform as much as just two short (20 seconds) cycle sprints three times a week. The experiments involving the mentioned physical activities lasted for six weeks, after which the scientists performed a number of physical measurements and tests. 
It turned out that even such small amounts of active exercising was enough to achieve an improvement of the participants’ insulin function. In average, the improvement was estimated as 28 per cent.
It is not the first study showing positive effects of even short-term physical activities on insulin function and sugar levels in the blood. Actually, regular physical exercises and proper amounts of physical activities are proven the best measures to prevent type 2 diabetes and keep our blood sugar levels low enough. However, such factors as our sedentary lifestyle, our bad habits, a lack of motivation and a shortage of time contribute greatly to a lack of physical activities in the life of most of us. It is estimated that about 66 per cant of today’s adults are not getting even minimal recommended amounts of physical activities (which is 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day).
Dr Niels Vollaard, one of the authors of the study, talked about the mechanism of lowering blood sugar levels after the workouts. According to him, sugar (known as glycogen) deposits in our muscles play an important role and help us exercise more effectively. But after workouts or exercising, the sugar deposits in our muscles should be restored, and the best way is to take sugar from the blood. “In inactive people there is less need for the muscles to do this, which can lead to poor sensitivity to insulin, high blood sugar levels, and eventually type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Vollaard said.
Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.
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