HIIT-ing back at Type 2 diabetes
Traditionally, 40% to 60% of folks with Type 2 diabetes don't gain optimal control of their blood sugar levels -- even if they're using insulin. The new diabetes medications like Ozempic may be changing that, at least for folks who stay on the drugs long-term, but overall achieving and maintaining an A1C of 7% or lower is difficult for many people.
Well, a meta-study in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism has found that HIIT -- high-intensity interval training -- done at about 80% of your peak heart rate is a powerful way to control blood sugar, reduce insulin resistance and lower your risk of diabetes-related cardiorespiratory problems. It works by improving body composition (less visceral fat), reducing levels of LDLs and triglycerides, and lowering blood pressure.
How can you get started doing HIIT? If you're sedentary -- start slowly by doing 30 minutes of physical activity, like walking, daily. After a month, you should be able to increase your intensity. A good routine combines 10 minutes of moderate walking, alternating with one to two minutes at a faster speed, so you can still talk but with some effort. Then return to your usual pace. Repeat that cycle five times. Over weeks, experiment with increasing the speed of your faster interval.
A full-blown 30-minute HIIT workout may combine a repeated series of 20 to 90 seconds of high-intensity activity (so you cannot talk), followed by an equal stretch of slow-down. For more help getting up to speed, check out Dr. Oz's YouTube video, "The 7-Minute HIIT Workout."
Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's).
(c)2025 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2025 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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