Originally Posted by crystalspin
There is a [mis]conception -- widely held among physicians as well as laypeople -- that Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are "completely different".
What most of those who hold up this statement as some kind of immutable Law fail to remember is that the percentage of people with Insulin Resistance (which can be a precursor to Type 2 Diabetes) among Type 1 diabetics is equivalent to that among non-Type-1's ...as that condition is largely hereditary.
That is why exercise can in fact cut down on the insulin requirement of Type 1 diabetics just as Type 2's.
Insulin users of both types will need to test and adjust their dosages, esp. if their riding is new/increased OR occasional/inconsistent OR they have ANY other health conditions such as a cold or virus.
Most Type 1's are testing frequently anyway and would notice and adjust without being told to!
~'spin!~
Type 1 and Type 2 ARE completely different diseases. While they may share some similarities in symptoms and reactions, the diseases are 100% different and thus require different management and care.
Type 1 results when a person's immune system attacks and kills off the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. Thus there is no insulin function in a Type 1 diabetic. Type 2 results from the body's increasing resistance to insulin and/or the body's reduced production of insulin.
Yes, a T1 can get resistant if they are overweight or after a long time on a particular type of insulin. In the latter case, they usually switch insulin types. Obviously if it's the former, exercise will have the same effect as it would on a T2. Also, for "mere mortals" whose bodies aren't operating at peak efficiency at all times, exercise will make the body more efficient at using glucose in the blood and thus require less insulin.
Still does not change the fact that the diseases are fundamentally and completely different and overall, managed differently. A T2 may, through exercise and diet reduce or possibly eliminate the requirement for insulin while a T1 can NEVER be free from that requirement.