Effect of Neck-Deep Immersion in Cool or Thermoneutral Water on Blood Glucose Levels in Individuals With Type 1 Diabetes

Context: It is unclear whether immersion in cool water, typical of many beaches, increases the concentration of blood glucose in individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).Objective: To test the hypothesis in individuals with T1DM that immersion neck-deep in cool water (COOL) causes an increase in blood glucose concentration, but not exposure to thermoneutral water (THERMO) or thermoneutral air.Methods: Eight overnight-fasted participants with T1DM were exposed for 60 minutes on separate days to 3 experimental conditions: cool water (COOL, 23 degrees C); thermoneutral water (THERMO, 33.5 degrees C); or thermoneutral air (24 degrees C). They then recovered for 60 minutes on land at 24 degrees C. At time intervals, we measured: blood glucose and plasma insulin concentration, rate of carbohydrate and fat oxidation, skin and core temperature, subcutaneous blood flow, and shivering via electromyography.Results: There was no change in blood glucose concentration during the 3 experimental conditions (P > .05). During recovery after COOL, blood glucose increased (P < .05) but did not change in the other 2 conditions. The rate of carbohydrate oxidation during and early after COOL was higher than in the other 2 conditions (P < .05), and COOL led to a decrease in subcutaneous blood flow and the concentration of plasma insulin (P < .05).Conclusion: Cool or thermoneutral neck-deep immersion in water does not cause a change in the concentration of blood glucose in people with T1DM, but on-land recovery from COOL causes an increase in blood glucose that may be due, at least in part, to the accompanying decrease in plasma insulin.

Automated summary

Deep neck immersion in cool water does not cause a change in blood glucose concentration in individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus, but recovery from cool water leads to an increase in blood glucose, which may be partly due to a decrease in plasma insulin.