An estimated 20 to 40 per cent of people with Type 2 diabetes also have some level of depression, approximately double the rate of depression in the general population. And unfortunately, hand in hand with the emotional pain, depression can worsen your blood sugar control and raise the risk of complications.

Although people experience depression difficulty, there are some common symptoms, including:

• A loss of pleasure in doing the things you once enjoyed
• Changes in your sleeping habits
• Changes in your eating style
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Trouble concentrating

Type 2 diabetics often get a mild, unrecognized form of depression. Part of the problem is that high blood sugar levels cause disorder in the way that amino acids are absorbed into the brain, enabling the brain to absorb too much of some, and too little of others. A larger part of the problem is brain cells, which don’t need insulin to absorb sugar, get flooded with glucose. The answer, however, is oxygen.

One of the many ways exercise is good for Type 2 diabetics is that it increases the oxygen flow to their brain. The way the circulatory system works is, whenever you increase your blood flow in general, your body will make sure the brain gets extra oxygen first.

The extra oxygen in your brain does some astonishing things:

• It activates antioxidant processes
• It increases the activity of a very appropriately named protein called Noggin, which activates stem cells (your own stem cells) for brain repair
• It influences the chemical balance related to mood, not only increasing the production of the pleasure chemical dopamine, but also increasing the numbers of receptors in the brain to respond to it

And in diabetics and non-diabetics alike, exercise can turn back the clock for brain function. Exercise can restore brain function when there has been mild memory loss.

What kind of exercise is best for your brain?

1. It’s basic that your exercise not cause any new brain injury! Football (soccer) and race car driving probably do stimulate brain cell growth, but if you aren’t very adept at them already, perhaps you shouldn’t take them up after you become a diabetic.
2. One way to stimulate your brain is by the most vigorous cardiovascular exercise you can perform safely. This is exercise of the huff and puff variety. Every time you exercise, you add to a cognitive reserve. Even when you can no longer exercise, this cognitive exercise can help you maintain mental function in old age.
3. The best way to stimulate your brain, however, is by a combination of vigorous exercise and good blood sugar level control. Eliminating free radical stress on your brain by keeping your blood sugar levels within normal ranges and getting cardiovascular exercise on a regular basis, can beat the “blahs” and keep your mind sharp.