Don’t die from the heat: high blood sugar can keep our bodies from cooling down

Poor blood sugar control may be associated with higher body temperature and increased heart rate in physically active men with type 2 diabetes. A new study found that hemoglobin A1c (also called glycosylated hemoglobin), a common marker of long-term blood sugar control, was not associated with differences in the amount of heat lost from the body, increased heart rate by six beats per minute, and increased hemoglobin in men with type 2 diabetes when cycling in a heated room. Core temperature body weight increased by 0.2°C for each percentage point increase in A1c (from 5.1% to 9.1%).

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People with type 2 diabetes may have a reduced ability to lose heat, increasing the risk of developing heat damage during heat stress. However, the reason for the decrease in heat dissipation ability is not fully understood. This health challenge becomes even more urgent as countries around the world face higher average summer temperatures, such as the 2022 global heatwaves, as well as more frequent and longer extremes.

Researchers at the University of Ottawa in Canada tried to determine whether blood sugar control affects the body’s ability to lose heat during exercise in the heat. Although poorer blood glucose control does not seem to worsen whole-body heat loss, the association between chronically elevated blood glucose (indexed by hemoglobin A1c) and higher body temperature and heart rate may point to its role in thermoregulation. It is important to note that this effect was not related to the physical fitness of the participants. The findings suggest that in people with type 2 diabetes, poor blood sugar control may put them at risk of dangerously high body temperatures and greater stress on the heart during physical activity in the heat. Again,

The leader of the research team, Dr. from the University of Ottawa, Canada. Glen Kenny said:

“Previous research has shown that aging is associated with a decrease in the body’s ability to dissipate heat, which is more pronounced in people with type 2 diabetes. However, it remains unclear to what extent long-term blood sugar control can mediate this response. With the one-of-a-kind Whole Body Air Calorimetry, we were able to better understand the relationship between long-term blood glucose control and the body’s ability to dissipate physiological heat in people with type 2 diabetes.”

Regular exercise is often recommended to manage and improve blood sugar control. However, rising global temperatures and prolonged heatwaves make disease management difficult for people living with type 2 diabetes, as current health recommendations recommend avoiding exercise in hot weather. People with type 2 diabetes are also at greater risk for heat-related stress, the risk of which increases with age.

The researchers monitored blood sugar levels by measuring the rate of glycated hemoglobin in the blood. It is hemoglobin (the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen) with sugar molecules attached to it. It reflects the blood sugar level of the last 3 months. The normal healthy level for glycated hemoglobin is 4-6%, while the good level for a person with diabetes is ≤ 7%.

Physical activity and thermal stress testing involving cycling on a calorimeter set to 40°C was administered to 26 physically active men aged 43-73 years who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for 5 years or more. After sitting for 30 minutes at rest, they completed three 30-minute cycling cycles of light, moderate, and high-intensity exercise with a 15-minute rest period between each set. The intensity was adjusted to a constant rate of metabolic heat production relative to body size so that each participant was given the same heat load and therefore the same amount of heat lost.

The researchers note that the results were based on an all-male sample of physically active people who exercised for at least 150 minutes per week. This may not be the most heat sensitive group of people living with type 2 diabetes. More research is needed to understand the changes in the body’s physiological ability to dissipate heat when sedentary and more vulnerable individuals exercise in the heat.

Glen Kenney said: “Type 2 diabetes is associated with higher rates of heat illness and death during heat stress than in the general population. We can provide better heat protection recommendations to protect the health and well-being of these heat sensitive individuals.” .This includes advice that can help healthcare providers manage heat stress in their patients who do vigorous exercise or work in the heat.

Previously Focus He wrote that scientists have discovered unexpected medicinal properties of coffee in diabetes. The study shows that the caffeine and micronutrients in the beverage help reduce the strain on the liver.