Post-Exercise Protein Intake May Reduce Time in Hypoglycemia Following Moderate-Intensity Continuous Exercise among Adults with Type 1 Diabetes

Abstract

Little is known about the role of post-exercise protein intake on post-exercise glycemia. Secondary analyses were conducted to evaluate the role of post-exercise protein intake on post-exercise glycemia using data from an exercise pilot study. Adults with T1D (n = 11), with an average age of 33.0 ± 11.4 years and BMI of 25.1 ± 3.4, participated in isoenergetic sessions of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). Participants completed food records on the days of exercise and provided continuous glucose monitoring data throughout the study, from which time in range (TIR, 70–180 mg/dL), time above range (TAR, >180 mg/dL), and time below range (TBR, p-values ≥ 0.07); however, a borderline significant reduction of −1.9% (95% CI: −3.9%, 0.0%; p = 0.05) TBR per 20 g protein was observed following MICT in analyses stratified by exercise mode. Increasing post-exercise protein intake may be a promising strategy to mitigate the risk of hypoglycemia following MICT.

Keywords

• type 1 diabetes
• exercise
• protein
• sports nutrition
• glycemia
• hypoglycemia