Maintenance of glucose control in patients with type 1 diabetes during acute mental stress by riding high-speed rollercoasters

Abstract

Patients with diabetes and health care providers are often confronted with questions concerning psychological stress as a possible reason for glucose excursions; chronic psychosocial stress has been associated with higher levels of A1C and poor adherence to treatment (1,2). Few studies have addressed the effect of acute psychological stress on glucose concentrations in patients with type 1 diabetes, showing no or only minor effects, such as an increase in insulin resistance and slightly delayed decreases in glucose concentrations following moderate stress in the postprandial period (3–5). Since many patients and caregivers have challenged this view, we asked patients with type 1 diabetes to monitor glucose concentrations during a strongly stressing experiment.