Hello, Class!  Today's "lecture" concerns diabetes.  At Alliance Physical Therapy, we have noted that an increasing number of our patients report having diabetes, so we were very pleased that a recent issue of the Journal of the American Physical Therapy Association was devoted to diabetes research.  In one of the reports, a study was performed to determine whether a test of physical fitness can predict a person's resistance to insulin, which is a precursor of type 2 diabetes in people already at risk for diabetes.  Some of the factors that place a person at increased risk of diabetes include being overweight, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia (high cholesterol, high triglycerides, etc.), hypertension, a family history of diabetes, diabetes during pregnancy, or delivering a baby weighing over 10 pounds.

The physical fitness level of volunteers in this study was measured by body mass index (body weight/height squared (in metric system), waist circumference, flexibility, muscle strength and endurance, cardiorespiratory fitness, and reported level of physical activity.  The results of this study were that these clinical measures of physical fitness can, indeed, predict a person's resistance to insulin in people at risk for diabetes.  It was very interesting that men and women did not always have the same predictors.  Body mass index, muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness were predictors of insulin intolerance for men.  For women, age, waist circumference and cardiorespiratory fitness were predictors. 

This study confirms that, while there are some factors beyond our control in preventing diabetes, there are many factors that are controllable.  Physical fitness is certainly one of them.  If you are not engaged in a fitness program and want to get started, discuss this with your physician, then contact Alliance Physical Therapy, where our physical therapists are THE experts in assessing your individual exercise needs and coaching you toward a healthier lifestyle.

Yours in health,

Karen