Riding for your life, a Tour de Health!

The old adage, “Ride or Die” seems to have played out in a recent study published by JAMA.

Treatment for type II diabetes and pre-diabetes have shifted from a goal of just trying to lower blood sugar to 1) lowering blood sugar AND 2) preventing diabetes related complications and early death. As more data becomes available, newer medications like SGLT-2 inhibitors (example: Jardiance) and GLP-1 agonists (example: Ozempic) have moved up from secondary and tertiary treatment options to first line medications because of these medications do more than just lower blood sugar. While this is important, medications are not the only way to treat diabetes.

As medications become more effective and complicated, more time in the doctor’s office is dedicated for talking about medications for diabetes, and foundational treatments like diet and physical activity often become a foot note or a one off statement. However physical activity, and diet, should remain a significant part of conversations related to the treatment of diabetes. Because exercise, specifically cycling, demonstrated an ability to lower all-cause mortality by at least 24% in patients with diabetes in a clinical study published in Jama Internal Medicine. Physical activity not only helps to maintain a healthy metabolism, improve sensitivity to insulin, but it can also help to reduce risk of all-cause mortality! That is a pretty big deal!

So grab your helmet and hop on that iron steed and take a ride.

Calgary is a unique city with an abundance of cycling trails that bless us with a variety of landscapes from large bodies of water, rivers, mountains, and forests. As a plus, these interconnected bikeways span the whole city. Check out the City of Calgary’s Parks Pathways & Bikeways Map. If you have more questions about bike fitting or where to ride, check with you local YYC bike shop.