Exploring Technology's Influence on Health Behaviours and Well-being in Type 1 Diabetes: a Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Maintaining positive health behaviours promotes better health outcomes for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, implementing these behaviours may also lead to additional management burdens and challenges. Diabetes technologies, including continuous glucose monitoring systems, automated insulin delivery systems, and digital platforms, are being rapidly developed and widely used to reduce these burdens. Our aim was to review recent evidence to explore the influence of these technologies on health behaviours and well-being among adults with T1D and discuss future directions.

RECENT FINDINGS

Current evidence, albeit limited, suggests that technologies applied in diabetes self-management education and support (DSME/S), nutrition, physical activity (PA), and psychosocial care areas improved glucose outcomes. They may also increase flexibility in insulin adjustment and eating behaviours, reduce carb counting burden, increase confidence in PA, and reduce mental burden. Technologies have the potential to promote health behaviours changes and well-being for people with T1D. More confirmative studies on their effectiveness and safety are needed to ensure optimal integration in standard care practices.

A Randomized Crossover Pilot Study Evaluating Glucose Control During Exercise Initiated 1 or 2 h After a Meal in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes Treated with an Automated Insulin Delivery System

Aims: To assess the safety and efficacy of two exercise sessions performed 60- and 120-min postmeal with a combination of meal bolus reduction and increased glucose target to the automated insulin delivery (AID) system. Methods: A randomized crossover trial in 13 adult participants (6 females) living with type 1 diabetes using AID (A1c = 7.9% ± 0.6%, age = 53.5 ± 15.5 years, T1D duration = 29.0 ± 16.0 years) was conducted. Just before breakfast, at the time of meal bolus, the AID glucose target was increased from 6 to 9 mmol/L, and a meal bolus reduction of 33% was applied. Two 60-min exercise sessions (60% of VO2 peak) were undertaken either 60 min (60EX) or 120 min (120EX) after a standardized breakfast, followed by a 90-min recovery period. Results: The mean reduction in plasma glucose (PG) levels from prebreakfast to postexercise (-0.8 ± 2.4 mmol/L vs. +0.3 ± 2.3 mmol/L, P = 0.082) were similar between 60EX and 120EX. From prebreakfast to postexercise, PG times in range (3.9-10.0 mmol/L; 63.4% ± 43.1% 60EX vs. 51.9% ± 29.7% 120EX, P = 0.219) and time above range (>10.0 mmol/L; 36.3% ± 43.3% 60EX vs. 48.1% ± 29.7% 120EX, P = 0.211) did not differ between interventions. The 60EX attenuated the glucose rise between premeal to pre-exercise (+1.8 ± 2.1 mmol/L 60EX vs. +3.9 ± 2.1 mmol/L 120EX, P = 0.001). No hypoglycemic events (<3.9 mmol/L) occurred during the study. Conclusion: Premeal announcement combining meal bolus reduction and increased glucose target was effective and safe during 60 min of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, whether exercise onset was 60 or 120 min following a meal. Clinical Trial Registration No.: NCT04031599.

Prevalence of nocturnal hypoglycemia in free-living conditions in adults with type 1 diabetes: What is the impact of daily physical activity?

OBJECTIVE

Studies investigating strategies to limit the risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia associated with physical activity (PA) are scarce and have been conducted in standardized, controlled conditions in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). This study sought to investigate the effect of daily PA level on nocturnal glucose management in free-living conditions while taking into consideration reported mitigation strategies to limit the risk of nocturnal hyoglycemia in people with T1D.

METHODS

Data from 25 adults (10 males, 15 females, HbA_1c: 7.6 ± 0.8%), 20-60 years old, living with T1D, were collected. One week of continuous glucose monitoring and PA (assessed using an accelerometer) were collected in free-living conditions. Nocturnal glucose values (midnight-6:00 am) following an active day "ACT" and a less active day "L-ACT" were analyzed to assess the time spent within the different glycemic target zones (<3.9 mmol/L; 3.9 - 10.0 mmol/L and >10.0 mmol/L) between conditions. Self-reported data about mitigation strategies applied to reduce the risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia was also analyzed.

RESULTS

Only 44% of participants reported applying a carbohydrate- or insulin-based strategy to limit the risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia on ACT day. Nocturnal hypoglycemia occurrences were comparable on ACT night versus on L-ACT night. Additional post-meal carbohydrate intake was higher on evenings following ACT (27.7 ± 15.6 g, ACT vs. 19.5 ± 11.0 g, L-ACT; P=0.045), but was frequently associated with an insulin bolus (70% of participants). Nocturnal hypoglycemia the night following ACT occurred mostly in people who administrated an additional insulin bolus before midnight (3 out of 5 participants with nocturnal hypoglycemia).

CONCLUSIONS

Although people with T1D seem to be aware of the increased risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia associated with PA, the risk associated with additional insulin boluses may not be as clear. Most participants did not report using compensation strategies to reduce the risk of PA related late-onset hypoglycemia which may be because they did not consider habitual PA as something requiring treatment adjustments.

Minimizing the Risk of Exercise-Induced Glucose Fluctuations in People Living With Type 1 Diabetes Using Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion: An Overview of Strategies

Physical activity (PA) is important for individuals living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) due to its various health benefits. Nonetheless, maintaining adequate glycemic control around PA remains a challenge for many individuals living with T1D because of the difficulty in properly managing circulating insulin levels around PA. Although the most common problem is increased incidence of hypoglycemia during and after most types of PA, hyperglycemia can also occur. Accordingly, a large proportion of people living with T1D are sedentary partly due to the fear of PA-associated hypoglycemia. Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) offers a higher precision and flexibility to adjust insulin basal rates and boluses according to the individual's specific needs around PA practice. Indeed, for physically active patients with T1D, CSII can be a preferred option to facilitate glucose regulation. To our knowledge, there are no guidelines to manage exercise-induced hypoglycemia during PA, specifically for individuals living with T1D and using CSII. In this review, we highlight the current state of knowledge on exercise-related glucose variations, especially hypoglycemic risk and its underlying physiology. We also detail the current recommendations for insulin modulations according to the different PA modalities (type, intensity, duration, frequency) in individuals living with T1D using CSII.