Diabetics gained from lockdown: Study

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1

Contrary to popular belief that the lockdown has an adverse influence on lifestyle, contributing to weight gain, a group of PGI doctors has observed an improved glycemic (presence of glucose in blood) control among people with long-standing diabetes during this period.

The doctors carried this prospective study on people with long-standing type 2 diabetes to assess the effect of over three months’ duration of the lockdown on glycemic control.

Promising Findings

• Decrease in weight due to increase in physical activity
• The study indicates that the lockdown period may not be associated with worsening of glycemic control in people with long-standing diabetes
• Limiting sedentary time and increasing indoor activities helped in achieving better glycemic control during the lockdown
• People with significant diabetes comorbidities such as foot complications that limit outdoor activities were also able to achieve good glycemic control

The study observed an improvement in glycemic parameters as compared to the pre-lockdown period with a significant reduction in HbA1c and postprandial (after meal) blood glucose after a minimum of three months of the lockdown.

According to the study, the possible reasons behind better glycemic control were decrease in work-related stress, adequate time for self-care, better compliance with medications, adherence to dietary recommendations (home-cooked food), lack of availability of outside calorie-dense diet and an increase in indoor physical activity.

“Excessive sedentary behaviour and lack of exercise are a problem area in the management of diabetes due to lack of adherence, which is likely to be further worsened due to the pandemic. However, we observed that most of the respondents engaged themselves in physical activity doing household chores and indoor exercise consequent upon availability of time,” reads the study. The doctors also observed that unstructured physical activity such as performing household chores is known to help in weight management, controlling postprandial hyperglycemia (high sugar level) and overall improved glycemic control by reducing the total sedentary time.

About the study

As many as 750 participants of the 2,240 people with pre-existing type 2 diabetes, who were regularly attending diabetes clinic at the PGI prior to the Covid-induced lockdown and had access to home-based capillary glucose monitoring by glucometer during the lockdown period, were invited by the researchers.

A total of 422 of the 750 individuals (303 men and 119 women) with diabetes responded with the requisite glycemic parameters within the stipulated duration. The median age of the participants was 58 years and the duration of diabetes of 11 years.