Effects of Resistance Exercise on Blood Glucose in Post-menopausal Women With Type 1 Diabetes

Regular physical activity has substantial health benefits in people with type 1 diabetes. The fear of hypoglycemia, both during and after exercise, is a major barrier to exercise in this population. A major obstacle to providing specific physical activity and exercise advice is that there are still significant gaps in the fundamental understanding of the impact of physical activity and exercise on blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes. Women with type 1 diabetes have a substantial increase in cardiovascular risk once they have passed menopause. They may lose both bone quality and muscle mass at a faster rate with aging than those without diabetes. Overall, these changes greatly increase the risk of both cardiovascular and frailty related complications. Despite the many potential benefits of resistance exercise for post-menopausal women with type 1 diabetes, there are currently no published studies examining the effects of resistance exercise in this population. Before being able to design a clinical trial of resistance exercise, an examination of the acute effects of resistance exercise on blood glucose levels in post-menopausal women with type 1 diabetes is required. The present study will compare the glycemic effects of a low resistance, high repetition (3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions) weight lifting program to the effects of a moderate resistance, moderate repetition (3 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions). The investigators hypothesize that the high repetition program will be associated with a bigger decline in blood glucose during exercise, but that the moderate resistance program will be associated with a higher risk of post-exercise hypoglycemia.