[Effect of physical exercise conducted at various times of the day on the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism in patients with diabetes mellitus].

A study was made of the levels of glucose, IRI, STH, ACTH and cortisol in the blood serum (plasma) of 39 patients with diabetes mellitus prior to and after physical exercise testing. 25 patients performed physical exercises on an empty stomach in the morning (8-9 a.m.) 14 patients in the daytime (4-5 p.m.). Exercise therapy in the morning hours resulted in the readjustment of hormonal regulation characterized by the predominance of the activity of the counterinsular systems over the insular one. In the daytime the IRI level in patients with diabetes mellitus increased and the activity of the hypophyseoadrenal system before and after physical exercise testing decreased as compared to morning indices producing a beneficial effect on the carbohydrate metabolic status. Daytime hours seem optimum for exercise therapy of patients with diabetes mellitus of both types.