A new study, published in Sensors Journal, has found that women's glucose levels after exercise are lower than those of men.
The research looked at the impact of sex, BMI, age, exercise type and exercise duration on intestinal glucose levels during exercise.
What is Further? Lululemons womens-only ultra things you need to know about Charlotte Purdue things you should know about Dina Asher-Smith.
It found that females not only had lower post-exercise glucose levels compared with males, but also a greater change between pre- and post-workout glucose levels.
Younger individuals (less than 20 years' old) had higher glucose levels during exercise compared with those from other age groups, and also had fewer instances of very low glucose levels compared with those aged 20-39.
Those who were underweight, based on BMI, also had higher pre-exercise glucose levels than those who sat within the healthy BMI group, although their levels after exercise were similar.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below lifting weights, caused less of a drop in glucose levels compared to aerobic (like running) or mixed exercise. It also resulted in fewer instances of both very low and very high glucose levels.
Generally, CGM values between 70 and 120 mg/dL are considered within the normal or 'tight' glycemic range in healthy individuals.
In this study, participants' CGM values during exercise were in this tight glycemic range for most of the time. However, it showed that women spent around 5% less time in this range than men.
What does this mean for female runners?
The authors of the study say their findings conflict somewhat with the repeated observations that women tend to rely more on fats than carbohydrates as fuel during exercise. But, they say the finding are still possible 'given that women tend to have lower glucagon levels and reduced hepatic glucose production during exercise as compared with men'.
The authors concluded that, given the inconsistencies in the findings, and the likely small effect size between the sexes, 'further research with larger, more diverse datasets is needed to clarify if women may be more at risk for exercise-associated hypoglycemia then men, particularly in longer endurance events'.
Should I wear a glucose monitor during exercise?
Glucose monitors were originally developed to help people with diabetes keep track of their glucose levels and make changes to food or insulin delivery as needed.
While clearly valuable for those with diabetes, their value to people living without diabetes has been put into question. This is because individuals who are not diabetic generally have circulating blood glucose levels within a relatively 'tight' or healthy range most of the time, even during most forms of prolonged exercise.
However, companies that produce things you need to know about Charlotte Purdues for the purpose of endurance competitions and training, such as Supersapiens, purport the benefit of athletes using a CGM during endurance sport to optimise their fuelling strategy. The idea is that if athletes have visibility of their glucose levels, they can effectively elevate levels at the right time to boost their energy and maximise performance.
