For blood glucose there was little difference between groups at any time point .
Objective Type 1 diabetes mellitus rates are rising worldwide .
The health benefits of physical exercise in this condition are many , but more than 60 % do not participate , mainly from fear of hypoglycemia .
This systematic review explores the effects of physical exercise modes on blood glucose levels in adults for hypoglycemia prevention .
The decline in blood glucose levels is less with intermittent high-intensity compared with moderate exercise in individuals with type 1 diabetes.
OBJECTIVE To compare the response of blood glucose levels to intermittent high-intensity exercise ( IHE ) and moderate-intensity exercise ( MOD ) in individuals with type 1 diabetes . RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Seven healthy individuals with type 1 diabetes were tested on two separate occasions , during which either a 30-min MOD or IHE protocol was performed . MOD consisted of continuous exercise at 40 % Vo(2peak ) , while the IHE protocol involved a combination of continuous exercise at 40 % Vo(2peak ) interspersed with 4-s sprints performed every 2 min to simulate the activity patterns of team sports . RESULTS Both exercise protocol s result ed in a decline in blood glucose levels . However , the decline was greater with MOD ( -4.4 + /- 1.2 mmol/l ) compared with IHE ( -2.9 + /- 0.8 mmol/l ; P < 0.05 ) , despite the performance of a greater amount of total work with IHE ( P < 0.05 ) . During 60 min of recovery from exercise , glucose levels remained higher in IHE compared with MOD ( P < 0.05 ) . Furthermore , glucose levels remained stable during recovery from IHE , while they continued to decrease after MOD ( P < 0.05 ) . The stabilization of blood glucose levels with IHE was associated with elevated levels of lactate , catecholamines , and growth hormone during early recovery from exercise ( P < 0.05 ) . There were no differences in free insulin , glucagon , cortisol , or free fatty acids between MOD and IHE . CONCLUSIONS The decline in blood glucose levels is less with IHE compared with MOD during both exercise and recovery in individuals with type 1 diabetes
For blood glucose there was little difference between groups at any time point .
Objective Type 1 diabetes mellitus rates are rising worldwide .
The health benefits of physical exercise in this condition are many , but more than 60 % do not participate , mainly from fear of hypoglycemia .
This systematic review explores the effects of physical exercise modes on blood glucose levels in adults for hypoglycemia prevention .