Glucose Control During Physical Activity and Exercise Using Closed Loop Technology in Adults and Adolescents with...

Guidelines for safe exercise strategies exist for both pediatric and adult patients living with type 1 diabetes. The management of type 1 diabetes during exercise is complex, but making insulin dosing adjustments in advance of activity can yield positive outcomes and reduce the likelihood of hypoglycemia. Closed loop (also known as automated insulin delivery) systems are able to partially automate insulin delivery and can assist in exercise and overall management of type 1 diabetes. Current exercise guidelines, however, focus primarily on management strategies for patients using multiple daily injections or open loop insulin pump therapy. Closed loop systems require strategic approaches to type 1 diabetes management, including appropriate timing and duration of exercise targets and carbohydrates around exercise that have yet to be standardized. This review aims to showcase how closed loop technology has evolved over the last decade and summarizes a number of closed loop and exercise studies both in free-living conditions and clinical trials. This review also highlights strategies and approaches for exercise and type 1 diabetes management using closed loop systems. Some differences in closed loop strategies for exercise include the importance of pump suspension if disconnecting during exercise, fewer grams of uncovered carbohydrates before exercise and these should be taken close to exercise onset to avoid a rise in automated insulin delivery. A primary goal for future closed loop systems is to detect exercise without user input, so that patients are not required to preset exercise targets well in advance of activity, as are the current recommendations.