Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Event to help encourage exercise for people living with Type 1 Diabetes
Explaining the importance of the event, Organiser Dr Matthew Campbell, who is a senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett’s Carnegie School of Sport, said: “Keeping blood sugar levels within normal ranges can be a daily struggle for those with type 1 diabetes. Add physical activity or exercise into the mix and control it becomes even more of a challenge and it is incredibly easy to get it wrong which can have dangerous consequences.
“The vast majority of people with type 1 diabetes, feel largely uninformed about insulin and diet around physical activity, such as playing with their children, walking the dog or carrying shopping back from the shops, and exercise, and are afraid they won’t be able to manage their condition. This event is for those people who want to learn how to improve diabetes management around physical activity and exercise.”
During the two-day event there will be an opportunity for participants to learn some basic skills for managing activity in a safe supported environment. They’ll be able to discuss their concerns and get advice from healthcare professionals as well as sharing their experiences and tips with others who are living with type 1 diabetes.
Dr Campbell added: “We want people to walk away from the event feeling more confident, better informed and armed with practical strategies that are easy to fir into their day-to-day life.”
Over the weekend, guests will hear from speakers including Dr Matthew Campbell, Diabetes Consultant Dr Andy Pettit, retired GP Stuart Bootle, dietician James Moran and DiAthlete Gavin Griffiths. There’ll also be the chance to take part in four activity taster sessions such as Pilates, yoga, tennis and running.
One additional injection of insulin three hours after eating has been shown to protect people with type 1 diabetes from cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death among people with the condition.
The small preliminary clinical trial published in Diabetes and Vascular Disease Research found the easy step allows people with type 1 diabetes to better regulate their blood sugar levels. Crucially, it also reduces fat and inflammatory markers in the blood that can damage blood vessels and heart disease. People with type 1 diabetes are up to ten times more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease than the general population, and the condition accounts for more than half of all deaths in this patient group.
In the UK, most people with type 1 diabetes regulate their blood sugar levels by injecting insulin throughout the day. The dose after mealtimes is usually calculated from the amount of carbohydrate in the meal. But this doesn’t account for how much fat is in the food, which is broken down by the body at a slower rate than carbohydrate.
The small trial held at the NIHR Newcastle Clinical Research Facility involved ten men with type 1 diabetes who were given three meals with identical carbohydrate and protein content. One of the meals had a low fat content and two had a high fat content. With the low fat meal, the volunteers administered their insulin dose as normal, calculated by the carbohydrate levels in the food. The volunteers did the same after one high fat meal, but with the other, they also administered a further insulin injection of one third of the original dose, three hours after eating. Blood samples were taken for analysis every half hour, until six hours after eating.
Having contributed to refining guidance around type 1 diabetes and exercise, Dr Campbell’s research will now focus on enabling the average person with the condition to incorporate physical activity into day-to-day life.
To book a place please at the type 1 diabetes physical activity and exercise event please visit http://bit.ly/2stJEWI