Stay-At-Home Order, Glucose Management, and Physical Activity

Stay-At-Home Order, Glucose Management, and Physical Activity

I personally utilize a Hybrid Closed Loop system(HCL) and of course have been affected by the restrictions implemented due to the covid outbreak.

Daily trips to the gym transitioned to at home workouts and daily walks. Many people have stopped exercising all together or have spent far less time being active and more time sitting. If you live with diabetes, you definitely know how physical activity and lack of it affects your blood sugar.

An interesting small study was done to evaluate glycemic control of individuals with T1D using a HCL system prior to the Sars/covid outbreak in Italy.

It is known statistically that adolescents are less physically active, do not maintain a sleeping pattern, and eat a less nutritious diet on breaks from school. The study began when minor restrictions were implemented and continued into the complete lockdown phase. The individuals all had good glycemic control at baseline. Additionally, all individuals continued to show good glycemic control throughout the study period.

What was Learned:

The conclusion of the study was that glycemic control of T1D in adolescents using a HCL system did not worsen during the restrictions and improved in those who continued physical activity during the quarantine. The maintenance of physical activity is an essential management strategy for individuals with type 1 diabetes. Some explanations to the adolescents maintaining good control over the quarantine could be due to parent intervention, more predictability in daily routine, at home meals, technology, and health care assistance through telemedicine.

As pointed out, typically kids have worse control when they are at home. Some other things we can infer is that HCL helps take away some of the burden of diabetes and makes it easier on families to manage at home. Additionally, health care providers now have access to much more data to help make adjustments not only in person but through telemedicine.

Better technology=better patient outcomes.

The data in regards to patient outcomes in telemedicine is insufficient but, hopefully future studies will be evaluating its success as it’s been the only way to provide health assistance for many people over the quarantine. HCL systems and exercise seem to be a great combination for assistance in managing T1D.

If you’re looking for help setting up a home workout program for your adolescent or as an adult, email Kathryn at: kathryngentile97@gmail.com. Additionally, the clinicians at IDS can help you with blood sugar management during physical activity and reach your fitness goals. Give the office a call to set up an appointment.