I'm a diabetic Clydesdale (6'3" and 240 lbs.) I've been cycling for about 3 years and have been able to reduce my insulin dosage by half thanks to my cycling regimen.

How are the other diabetics doing on the bike? Have you ridden a century yet? And what foodstuffs do you schlep along to prevent bonking?

If you want to completely get off insulin, look into this guy,

www.garynull.com

Worked for my grandpa.

Cycling works for me, just about the same as moderately brisk walking. That is, about 20 or 25 minutes to lower insulin resistance - NOT the same number of miles. So far, no medication needed.

Then look at this...

https://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/null.html

Some old fart (76 years young) that claims to be my Dad switched from jogging to cycling in his late 50's to help with the diabetes after the joints started aching too much. Until a couple of years ago - he'd do several C's a year (came down with the shingles - and he hasn't been able to get the endurance back since then). I think it was 11 years in a row he did the Hotter N Hell.

He swears by Fig Newtons, Peanuts, and plain o' H2O. Claims the fancy power bars and power drinks make his blood sugar swing up and down too much.

Peanuts. Well, why not? Peanut butter has become the new staff of life. Gotta watch out for the bread, though.

I'm guessing you're a type 2?

My wife's a type 1 and does pretty good biking. Typically we'll stop every half hour, test her blood and she'll eat 1/2 a power bar. No insulin required for the power bars during the ride. Post ride, she will need less insulin for meals. We've done up to 4 hours this way (though that was the longest we did and she was physically wiped afterwards) but more typically about 2.

She went on an insulin pump last spring and has only ridden once since then - being pregnant kind of hampered any rides. We've seen that exercise necessitates a lower basal rate and any meal boluses within a couple of hours also require a lower insulin to carb ratio.

Interesting, skiahh. I had no idea the same principle applied to type I.

I love this stuff!

Type 1 is completely different

Novara, you're probably type 2. Just be wary of any numbness or tingling, especially in the scrotal area. Otherwise, keep on biking, lose that weight, and your insulin sensitivity will definately improve. Ask your doctor whether or not Omega-3 supplementation will help.

I've been using cycling to lower insulin dosage for years, but I still need 3-5 shots a day, but 2 are for a weight control insulin (Byetta). I check for bood sugar on rides longer then 90 minutes, but stretch that on local rides. The only problem I have is cold feet under 70 degrees F. If you carry insulin and sryinges on rides, make sure you have a prescription label for the needles.

Just keep riding. I do use gels and energy bars, but sparingly, and dilutted sports drinks and sugar free sports drinks.

Team Type I just finished second in the RAAM, so there is really nothing to limit what you can do.

My longest ride so far was a shade under 300km solo in moderate mountains.

As a type I the biggest issue I have is keeping BG under control requires consistency and predictability and that isn't always best from a training point of view.

I'd contact AndrewP off the forums. He's a Canadian guy with diabetes, and he's pretty much into distance cycling. I did a 80 km ride with him when I was in Montreal, and he still had tons of energy to ride more, in my opinion.

Koffee

i think that's awesome...more people should emulate your example

Please consult with your doctor also. I think those fancy papers on their walls from different Hospitals and Universities are not just decorations.

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.

Contact Edzo, hes pretty up to date on it as well.