People who are diabetic should always keep a tab on their blood sugar while conducting high-altitude activities such as hiking or skiing, indicates a study. The outcomes were circulated in the Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Doctors often suggest workouts for people with diabetes as it has several advantages. It can boost heart health, insulin sensitivity, and quality of life. Nevertheless, exercise can also result in hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood sugar) in people with diabetes during and after an exercise. If a person’s blood sugar declines, immediate action is required as they can have attacks, become unconscious or die. These results indicate that if workouts are performed immediately after exposure to high altitude may increase the risk of exercise-mediated hypoglycemia,” explained Cory Dugan, A.F.H.E.A., B.Sc. (Hons), of the University of Western Australia in Crawley, Australia.
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“We ask that future guidelines consider these results to improve the safety of people with type 1 diabetes when traveling from low to high altitude areas like the mountains without any acclimatization.”The researchers reviewed seven people with type 1 diabetes and measured their blood sugar levels before, during, and after two indoor cycling sessions that mimicked sea level and high-altitude conditions. After one hour of exercise at 4200 meters (about half the height of Mount Everest) and during recovery, blood sugar levels were considerably lower. These results imply exercise at high altitudes may improve the risk of hypoglycemia in individuals with type 1 diabetes. Some of the authors of the study comprise Shane Maloney, Kristina Abramoff, and Sohan Panag of the University of Western Australia; Elizabeth Davis and Timothy Jones of the Telethon Kids Institute in Nedlands, Western Australia; and Paul Fournier of the University of Western Australia and the Telethon Kids Institute. The study obtained financing from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
