LONDON, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- During the first few months of diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, doing exercise may help the patient delay the progression of the condition, according to a study released on Wednesday by the University of Birmingham.

A team, led by researchers at the university, suggests that exercise during first few months of diagnosis of the disease may in the long term improve blood glucose levels, reduce hypoglycemic attacks and the risk of long-term complications, such as retinopathy and neuropathy.

In this study, researchers studied 17 people from three clinics in the UK, who had all been recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and who were doing significant levels of exercise. They were matched with people who had also being recently diagnosed and were the same age, sex and weight, but not doing any exercise.

The team found that study participants who continued an active exercise regime after Type 1 diagnosis extended their partial remission, also known as the "honeymoon" period, by five fold compared to those who did not exercise.

"We propose that exercise prolongs honeymoon through a combination of improving how the body responds to insulin, and also preserving the function of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas," said lead author of the study, Parth Narendran, of the University of Birmingham's Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy.