More than half of diabetics lack a regular exercise regimen, leaving them at significantly higher risk of premature death, according to a survey released by the Formosan Diabetes Care Foundation yesterday.
The poll, conducted among 600 people diagnosed with diabetes and their relatives, found that about 55 percent of the respondents did not work out regularly.
Just 28.9 percent managed to achieve the recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise, five times per week, it showed.
While 81.1 percent of relatives polled agreed that having a workout partner was conducive to establishing an exercise regimen, just 18.6 percent had tried to accompany a diabetic during exercise, the survey found.
Among the rest, 62.6 percent of family members said they did not exercise with their diabetic relative because they were busy, while 42.1 percent said they did not work out regularly themselves and 22.3 percent said they could not find exercises suitable for two people.
Controlling blood sugar requires a balanced diet, medication and exercise, but most diabetics only focus on the first two, foundation chief executive Tsai Shih-tse (蔡世澤) said.
“Approximately 98 percent of diabetics in the nation suffer from type 2 diabetes. Their pancreatic function is expected to decrease by 5 to 10 percent each year and the organ will gradually lose its ability to secrete sufficient insulin to maintain normal blood sugar levels, leaving them prone to cardiovascular diseases,” Tsai said.
Physical activity has been proved to help improve insulin sensitivity and glucose effectiveness, which in turn helps diabetics keep their blood sugar level in the safe range, Tsai said.
Citing a 2007 study published in the journal Diabetes Care, Chen said diabetics without a workout regimen faced a 72 percent higher death rate than their exercising counterparts.
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