Lifestyle change in a patient with type 2 diabetes initiated by regular running

Overview

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the most common chronic diseases encountered by general practitioners. Lifestyle modification is an essential part of treatment, but its long-term maintenance is often difficult. Case description: The author describes the patient‘s own experience with type 2 diabetes and alcohol abuse. After several years of unsuccessful diet attempts and without regular physical activity, a fundamental lifestyle change occurred in 2013 in connection with the introduction of regular running. Physical activity was combined with listening to music and using a mobile application for monitoring sports activity. Running was performed regularly in the morning on an empty stomach. Results: Within a few months, body weight was reduced by approximately 20 kg, eating habits were adjusted, and glycemia values were normalized. At the same time, alcohol consumption was spontaneously discontinued. Conclusion: The case report shows that regular physical activity can lead to a fundamental lifestyle change and a significant improvement in metabolic compensation of type 2 diabetes in some patients. The described experience may be inspiring, especially for general practitioners, when motivating patients to change their lifestyle.

Keywords:

alcohol abuse – Physical activity – Running – diabetes mellitus type 2 – lifestyle change