Type 2 Diabetes Treated with Whole Body Vibration
Exercising is very important in controlling Type 2 diabetes. Exercise can help control your weight and lower your blood sugar level. Aerobic exercise increases insulin sensitivity and, along with proper nutrition, helps restore normal glucose metabolism by decreasing body fat. Strength training (a.k.a. resistance or weight training) also decreases body fat by raising the metabolism. It’s main benefit; however, is increasing glucose uptake by the muscles and enhancing the ability to store glucose. Exercise can mean the difference between “medical management” and “lifestyle management” of Type 2 diabetes.
A study was completed to determine if whole body vibration is beneficial in controlling Type 2 diabetes. The main findings were: Fasting glucose concentrations remained unchanged after training. The area under curve and maximal glucose concentration of the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test were reduced in the vibration and strength training group. HbA1c values tended to decrease below baseline date in the vibration training group while it increased in the two other intervention groups.
These findings suggest that vibration exercise may be an effective and low time consuming tool to enhance glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients.
Diabetes is usually listed as a contraindication for training on whole body vibration devices because of the rapid decline of the blood glucose levels, which may cause the patient to feel faint. However, the WBV device is also very well suited to improve the physical condition of diabetics. Diabetics can benefit hugely from WBV exercise, particularly if the exercise can improve blood circulation to their lower extremities. After a checkup and approval from a doctor, a diabetic can perform their entire training schedule on a WBV device. Since exercise time is drastically shortened when using whole body vibration, diabetic patients may prefer vibration training as a part of an intended lifestyle modification.