Glucose PulseA simple method to estimate the amount of glucose oxidized duringexercise in type 1 diabetic patients

Abstract This study shows that heart rate can be a useful physiological parameter to be used to estimate the amount of glucose oxidized during exercise. The correlation coefficients between heart rate and GLUox were greater than 0.95 in all volunteers, both healthy and type 1 diabetic subjects, indicating a highly significant correlation between the two variables. This relationship is the basis of the “glucose pulse” concept, defined as the GLUox expressed per unit of heart rate. Endurance training leads to a lower GLUox (16,17), which was also observed in the present study with a lower glucose pulse in aerobically trained patients. The relationship between the glucose pulse and the percentage of maximal theoretical heart rate is not linear. Nevertheless, if only a heart rate below 70% of maximal is considered, the following linear equations apply: trained 0.00353 0.0023 %HRmax 0.1428 0.1328 (n 23, R 0.846) and sedentary 0.00597 0.0035 %HRmax 0.1801 0.1891 (n 24, R 0.869). In nonobese type 1 diabetic individuals without autonomic neuropathy, the current equations can be used to calculate glucose oxidation during exercise based on easily measurable heart rate. From these concepts, it is possible to use simple tables matching heart rate, glucose oxidation, and dietary equivalents to be ingested, thus providing a potential clinical tool for prevention of exercise-related hypoglycemia.