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Endurance athletes and type 1 diabetes
Mercy Devadoss1, Laura Kennedy2, Nancie Herbold3
1Milton Hospital, Milton, Massachusetts (Ms Devadoss)
The Diabetes Educator
|February 18, 2011
Summary
Endurance athletes with type 1 diabetes often do not consistently follow American Diabetes Association (ADA) blood glucose management guidelines. This highlights a need for better diabetes education programs for athletes to understand risks of suboptimal glucose control.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Endocrinology
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Type 1 diabetes (T1D) management in athletes requires careful attention to blood glucose levels.
- Endurance sports present unique challenges for maintaining glycemic control.
- The American Diabetes Association (ADA) provides specific guidelines for athletes with T1D.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate current diabetes management practices among endurance athletes with T1D.
- To compare these practices against established ADA guidelines for athletes.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study utilizing a survey distributed online to endurance athletes with T1D (aged 18+).
- Survey questions were based on ADA clinical recommendations.
- 91 usable responses were collected and analyzed using ANOVA.
Main Results:
- Participants followed only half of the ADA clinical guidelines on average.
- Approximately 50% adhered to many guidelines most or almost all of the time, while 40% followed them sometimes to most of the time.
- Non-significant trends indicated potential links between not following guidelines and low blood glucose events.
Conclusions:
- Endurance athletes with T1D demonstrate inconsistent adherence to ADA blood glucose management guidelines.
- There is a clear need for enhanced diabetes self-management education programs for athletes.
- Improved education can foster better understanding of risks associated with suboptimal glycemic control during endurance activities.
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