Will diabetes tap you out, or can it be combated to secure that sweet taste of victory?

In modern mixed martial arts, fans are graced with gallant warriors who battle through the daily grind, break new barriers and set the benchmark for heroism every time they step in the cage.

Yet there are some warriors who never set foot inside the gym, but still fight an even harder battle each day. 

Diabetics share many facets with the most elite of mixed martial artists; they’re hard-working, tenacious and hold an ardent will to never surrender. Yet what is it about the condition that stops diabetics from holding their own inside the Octagon?

The Hardest Opponent

Put simply, diabetes is a condition where the sufferer has high levels of sugar in the blood. This can cause excessive thirst, blurry vision, fatigue, hunger and weight loss; all afflictions that don’t exactly bare well when facing a barrage of fists flying at your face.

There are two types: type 1 diabetes and type 2.

With type 1 diabetes, insulin is usually injected to reduce the abnormally high levels of sugar in the blood. Dosages vary between individuals but, as an example, let’s say that a type 1 diabetic needs to inject 1 unit of insulin for every 10 grams of carbohydrate that they take in.

Now, that may sound pretty straight forward, but when you throw in a daily routine of intense physical activity, that’s when things get complicated.

The more exercise you do, the quicker your body burns sugar as energy. So, if you inject the same amount of insulin before a workout as you would if you weren’t exercising, the glucose in your system will be used up quicker but the insulin will not.

This means that while your body will have no more fuel to burn, there will still be some insulin in your system which will keep working and your blood sugar will drop below normal levels leading to a hypoglycemic episode. Symptoms of this include dizziness and considerably slowed reactions; exactly the kinds of things that could destroy a training session for a fighter or even get them knocked out if they were to compete. Tough huh? 

Fortunately, for type 2 diabetics, a career in the cage is a little more attainable. Excluding those for which the condition is hereditary, the majority of people diagnosed with type 2 are either overweight or over the age of 45. This means that an MMA fighter is less likely to suffer from this form of diabetes, so long as they have no family history of the condition.

For those fighters and other professional athletes who do have type 2, their routine of regular physical activity is one of the best ways to treat the condition. Exercise lowers insulin resistance, meaning that the body is able to utilize the insulin in the body more effectively, thus making blood sugar levels more likely to stay within a healthy range.

Keep it Standing

Some of the most elite fighters are known for their dazzling footwork. Without their feet, they’d be nothing but target practice for their opponent. It’s a devastating blow to diabetics, but the sad reality is they have a high risk of developing foot problems, including nerve damage and collapsed joints. Because of this, there are many aspects of MMA which could potentially harm the feet, leading to long-term complications.

Fight through it

Of course, while there is yet to be a UFC mainstay with diabetes, there are some whose passion for combat overrides the challenges their condition presents. The late BJJ pioneer Carlson Gracie suffered from the condition, while boxer ‘Sugar’ Ray Robinson was also diabetic yet accomplished an incredibly successful career.

Should you suffer from diabetes, yet refuse to let it tap you out in the gym, follow these steps and you’ll be grappling the condition in no time.

> Make the cut – First of all, an athlete can try cutting their insulin dose roughly in half prior to exercising. This means that, as you use up all the energy stores in your body in half the time during your workout, you inject the appropriate amount of insulin into your system so that it lasts an equally short amount of time.

> Body check – Make sure that you test your blood glucose levels regularly (before, during and after training) so that you can work out at what rate your body tends to use up energy and adjust your insulin dosage accordingly. Remember, everyone’s body works differently.

> Load up on carbs – Another good safety measure is to have some source of fast-acting carbohydrate with you during training so that, if you feel any telltale signs of low blood sugar, you can have a quick drink or snack to boost them back up to normal levels.

Energy drinks are ideal, particularly for fighters who also have a weight cut to worry about. Take around 10–15g of fast-acting, then wait about 15 minutes before testing your blood glucose levels again to see if they’ve returned to normal. If not, then take the same amount of carbs again, repeating the process until you’re ready to continue with your exercise.

> Balance is key – It’s important not to overdo it when treating hypoglycemia. Consuming too much carbohydrate can lead to blood sugar levels becoming too high, meaning a risk of hyperglycemia. Symptoms of higher than average blood glucose levels are very much the same as those when levels are too low, including some others such as excessive urination and, as a result, dehydration.

Diabetics should always carry insulin with them in case they need to bring their blood sugar levels down.

> Lose the lard – Blood glucose levels tend to run higher the more overweight a sufferer of type 2 is, so if you’re carrying around some extra fat then cutting weight could not only be good for your career, but could also prove equally beneficial to your general health. 

> Make yourself known – It is important to inform your training partners and anyone else who may be with you during your workouts that you are diabetic. Also, in case you should find yourself training among unfamiliar faces, be sure to carry some form of diabetes identification with you at all times. ID can be a card or item of jewelry, usually a bracelet or pendant, which contains your personal and medical information.

DIABETES IN THE UNITED STATES

• 25.8 million adults and children, 8.3% of the population, have diabetes
• 1.9  million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in 2010
• 231,494deaths were contributed to diabetes-related illnesses in 2007
• $218 billion was the total cost of diabetes in the United States in 2007