Saddling up improves diabetes symptoms
Diabetic patients in need of more exercise may soon be told by their doctors to hop on a horse.With foot problems a major issue for many diabetic patients due to peripheral neuropathy, Japanese
researchers have come up with a novel way to ensure they can still keep fit – by riding a
mechanical horse.
They found that by prescribing exercise on a mechanical horse,
insulin sensitivity improved
significantly in their diabetic patients.For 12 weeks, the six female participants, average age 65, exercised on the mechanical horse four times a week for 30 minutes each time.Insulin sensitivity was measured before and after the training and after a 12-week recovery period.The insulin sensitivity of the participants gradually improved after starting exercise and then reverted to pre-training levels during the recovery period.The patients' triglycerides and body fat percentage tended to decrease after the training programme but not significantly.Lean body mass increased during exercise, though also not significantly.Although the results were not overwhelming, the researchers said longer periods of simulated riding could result in significant benefits for patients with diabetes.The riding machine mimicked the movement of a horse, so the diabetic patient in the saddle had to use their muscles to maintain an upright posture."Since skeletal muscle is the primary site of peripheral glucose disposal, increasing skeletal muscle mass might be a very effective way to improve insulin action," the researchers concluded.The movement intensity of the mechanical horse was approximately the same as activities such as walking, which older diabetic patients might not be able to perform because of peripheral numbness or osteoporosis, they said.
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