Study seeks participants with Type 1 diabetes willing to pump some iron Research team aiming to control blood sugar through weight training

A clinical research trial, led by Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Senior Health Scholar Dr. Ron Sigal, is investigating whether weight training, when partnered with aerobic exercise, will help people with Type 1 diabetes to control their blood sugars. The "Resistance Exercise in Already‐active Diabetic Individuals" trial – known as the READI trial – is underway in Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto and Winnipeg with a goal of enrolling 128 participants.

"A 15 per cent drop in average blood sugar levels reduces the risk of blindness, kidney failure or amputations by 25 – 40 per cent," says Dr. Sigal, a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, and the Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine. "Our hope for this study of people with Type 1 diabetes is that we will see similar results to our previous study of people with Type 2 diabetes."

In 2007, Dr. Sigal's study of 251 people with Type 2 diabetes was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. That study found people in the group that combined aerobic and weight training were able to reduce their Hemoglobin A1c (a measure of average blood sugar over 2‐3 months). "That group of participants had much better control of their blood sugar levels than people in the group that undertook just one type of exercise," says Dr. Sigal.

Calgary study participant Pari Majcan was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was nine years old, and has worked hard since then to keep her blood sugar under control. "Before I did this program, my blood sugar was up and down," says Majcan. "This has been a great investment of a year. I've learned so much about my body and how it responds to exercise. It has really been the chance of a lifetime."

To be eligible, participants must have Type 1 diabetes and already be doing aerobic exercise regularly. The study randomly assigns participants to two groups: the intervention group members continue the aerobic exercise they were doing before the study, and also build up to 135 minutes of weight training each week. Control group members continue their usual aerobic exercise.

Participants do their weight training at four YMCA locations in Calgary under the supervision of University of Calgary Exercise Specialist Tania White. Volunteer trainers from the UCalgary Faculty of Kinesiology work with participants on their training regimen. Once participants have completed the six‐month term of the study, they can continue/begin the weight training program for an additional six months.

A nurse‐educator and dietitian, both of whom specialize in diabetes care, meet with the participants, record their blood sugar levels, assess their insulin therapy and work with them on optimizing their diabetes care. Participants keep a journal of their food, medication, exercise program, and blood sugar measurements. The study team does interviews and blood tests with participants every three months. "People taking part in the study record their blood sugar levels before and after each exercise session – both for safety, and also as part of the study protocol," says Diana Mitchell, RN, BN, manager of clinical trials in diabetes, UCalgary Faculty of Medicine.

READI trial leaders across Canada include: Dr. Janine Malcolm at the University of Ottawa / Ottawa Hospital, Dr. Bruce Perkins at the University of Toronto / Toronto General Hospital, Michael Riddell, PhD, at York University, and Dr. Vincent Woo at the University of Manitoba. The READI study is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

"Right now, we don't have many options beyond medication to offer people with Type 1 diabetes," says Dr. Sigal. "We hope this study will prove that weight training, when combined with aerobic exercise, offers people a significant option to lower their blood sugar levels. Lowering that blood sugar helps us to prevent the devastating illnesses that spring out of diabetes: heart attack, stroke, blindness and amputation," he says.

In Canada, there are 200,000 people living with Type 1 diabetes – a disease in which the pancreas does not produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes causes glucose to build up in the blood instead of being used for energy. The Canadian Diabetes Association reports that life expectancy for people with Type 1 diabetes may be shortened by as much as 15 years, and that approximately 80 per cent of people with diabetes will develop heart disease or stroke.

To get more information or to potentially participate in the READI trial, please contact MaryAnn Clearwaters at 403.955.8115,

Reporters please contact Karen Thomas, Media Specialist, AHFMR, 1.877.423.5727 x 225, 403.651.1112 (cellular).

October 9, 2009

A clinical research trial, led by Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Senior Health Scholar Dr. Ron Sigal, is investigating whether weight training, when partnered with aerobic exercise, will help people with Type 1 diabetes to control their blood sugar. The "Resistance Exercise in Already‐active Diabetic Individuals" trial – known as the READI trial – is now underway in Calgary, Ottawa, Toronto and Winnipeg with a goal of enrolling 128 participants.

"A one‐percent drop in AC1 blood sugar levels reduces the risk of blindness, kidney failure or amputations by 25 – 40 percent," says Dr. Sigal, a member of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, and the Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine. "Our hope for this study of people with Type 1 diabetes is that we will see similar results to our previous study of people with Type 2 diabetes."

In 2007, Dr. Sigal's study of 251 people with Type 2 diabetes was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. That study found people in the group that combined aerobic and weight training experienced a .97 percent drop in their blood sugar. "That group of participants had much better control of their blood sugar levels than people in the group that undertook just one type of exercise," says Dr. Sigal.

Media are invited to attend the READI study launch on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 10 a.m. at the Eau Claire YMCA, 101 ‐ 3 St SW, Calgary, Alberta. This event features AHFMR Senior Health Scholar and diabetes specialist Dr. Ron Sigal, Tania White, exercise specialist for the READI trial, and two Calgarians who are participating in the study.

For interviews with READI leaders in Ottawa, Toronto and Winnipeg, reporters please contact:

In Ottawa, Dr. Janine Malcolm, 613.738.8400 x 81945,
In Toronto, Dr. Bruce Perkins, 416.340.4333, ,
Michael Riddell, PhD, 416.736.2100, x 40493, ,
In Winnipeg, Dr. Vincent Woo, 204.789.3433,

For more information, please contact: Karen Thomas, AHFMR Media Specialist, 1.877.423.5727 x225, 403.651.1112 (cellular)