Marathons Safe For People With Type 1 Diabetes, Study Says

HealthDay reports on a small study suggesting that people with type 1 diabetes can safely complete a marathon and perform similarly to runners without diabetes when they use careful glucose, insulin, carbohydrate and hydration planning. The study involved 10 runners with type 1 diabetes and 10 runners without diabetes, with findings scheduled for presentation at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Milan.

The researchers, led by Michal Kulecki of Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland, asked runners with diabetes to begin with a target pre-race glucose of 140 to 200 mg/dL. Participants adjusted insulin depending on their treatment method: multiple daily injection users reduced doses by 25%, non-hybrid pump users by 50%, and hybrid closed-loop pump users set a target glucose of 150 mg/dL. Blood sugar was checked at the start, finish and three points along the course, with carbohydrates or insulin given as needed.

The diabetes group finished in about 228 minutes, compared with 248 minutes for runners without diabetes. Only one runner with diabetes had two hypoglycemic episodes, and that runner had started below the target glucose range and consumed slightly fewer carbohydrates than the others. The study is preliminary until peer-reviewed, but it reinforces a practical message: endurance exercise is possible for people with type 1 diabetes, provided they prepare an individualized plan with clinicians rather than relying on generic advice.