From healthcentral.com
New science shows how wearable tech helps people managing type 2 diabetes stick with a fitness routine
A diabetes diagnosis can require a lot of lifestyle changes in order to keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range, from taking new medications to adjusting your diet and exercise routine. Doing an overhaul of daily habits can seem daunting, but the latest research suggests that wearable technology like smartwatches can help people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) make lasting changes when it comes to increasing their physical activity and managing their symptoms, according to a new study published in the journal BMJ Open.
Have Tech, Will Exercise
In the BMJ Open study, researchers set out to find an accessible way to support fitness habits in people with type 2 diabetes. Research shows that exercise—both cardiovascular activity and strength training—help improve insulin sensitivity, which is a vital goal with T2D.
“Type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition where your body either becomes resistant to insulin or doesn’t make enough of it. As a result, blood sugar levels rise,” explains study co-author Katie Hesketh, Ph.D., an assistant professor in exercise prescription at the University of Birmingham’s School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences in Birmingham, U.K.
This condition can develop due to a number of factors: There is a genetic component to T2D that makes certain people more predisposed to the disease; lifestyle factors like lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, and weight gain also play a role in the body developing insulin resistance that progresses to T2D.
Hesketh and her colleagues recruited 125 people (ages 45 to 75 years old) who had recently been diagnosed with T2D (within the previous five to 24 months) and were managing their condition through lifestyle modification alone or via taking metformin, an oral medication used to treat high blood sugar. All participants were paired with an exercise specialist for six months who would provide virtual counselling via phone or teleconference to tailor and oversee their home-based physical activity program. Half of the participants also received a smartwatch that had a built-in heart rate monitor and activity tracker, which enabled them to share their data with the online coaching program used by the exercise specialist.
“The trial was designed to test whether smartwatches could help people with type 2 diabetes stick to an exercise routine—and honestly, we were really encouraged by the results,” says Hesketh.
The researchers found that when people with T2D used wearable tech (synced with a coaching app) and did virtual check-ins with a fitness pro, they were more likely to not only start exercising more, but also to stick with it to meet their goals compared to the control group who received the same level of coaching but didn’t use wearable tech. “Nearly 80% [of participants using smartwatches] were still exercising six months into the program—which is a big win for a group that often faces barriers to staying active,” Hesketh says.
Getting Feedback Works Magic
Why did tech have such a positive effect for this T2D population? Hesketh notes that real-time heart rate guidance was helpful for people to see if they were working hard enough or too hard during physical activity. Participants also received weekly summaries of their progress such as calories burned and workout minutes—the goal was to work up to the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week—plus personalized guidance from the exercise pro who remotely tracked the data from their watch.
“Seeing your steps for the day, getting a nudge to move, ticking off a workout—all of that reinforces your behaviour,” says Hesketh. “Progress tracking also helps you look back and see how far you’ve come, which is hugely motivating. It shifts the mindset from ‘I have to exercise’ to ‘I can exercise—and I am.’”
Wearable tech also allows people with diabetes—not just type 2 diabetes, but type 1 diabetes (T1D) as well—to monitor their behaviours that help them to manage daily blood glucose, adds Barbara Eichorst, R.D., the vice president of health care programs at the American Diabetes Association in Arlington, VA. “The goal is to understand how food, exercise, or stress impacts their blood glucose,” says Eichorst. “Understanding blood glucose trends that are impacted by daily behaviours is a key to managing diabetes.” Identifying these trends allows diabetes warriors to adjust their lifestyle or medications to achieve their blood glucose goals.
Indeed, the study found promising clinical results in the wearables group, including modest reductions in haemoglobin A1C levels, lower blood pressure, and no sign of people becoming less active in other areas of life, says Hesketh. “That tells us that regular, structured activity using wearable support could improve more than just exercise habits—it might actually support better health management over time,” she says.
Convenience Breeds Confidence
Using wearable technology gives people with T2D a shortcut to instant exercise feedback without the need of hiring a fitness pro. “People can tailor the experience to suit their lives,” says Hesketh. “That flexibility builds confidence and a real sense of ownership.”
The addition of a coaching app further adds a sense of accountability to the routine. According to the study, people who used smartwatches were “over 10 times more likely to start training and over seven times more likely to still be going six months later,” says Hesketh. At the year mark, the adherence to an exercise routine in the tech group was more than twice that of the control group.
You don’t need an uber high-tech device to reap the benefits, Hesketh says. If you’re just starting out, a watch that tracks steps and heart rate may be enough. “Don’t worry about all the fancy features,” she suggests.
The people with T2D who participated in this study were given a smartwatch from Polar that measured their acceleration (for exercise tracking) and heart rate that also synced with an online coaching platform (Polar Flow). Other products on the market that measure the same data include Fitbit, Apple Watch, Whoop, Oura Ring, and more.
Remember, you’re not out to master the marathon here: Just getting the minimum amount of recommended weekly exercise—especially early on in a T2D diagnosis—can be very impactful. ”I hope to see smartwatches become part of early diabetes education,” Hesketh says.
https://www.healthcentral.com/news/type-2-diabetes/smartwatch-can-boost-exercise-with-t2d
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