BY QUINN PHILLIPS | FEBRUARY 28, 2023
Participating in a supervised exercise programs — with either moderate or vigorous exercise as the focus — was linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes over a 10-year period, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
Physical activity may help prevent type 2 diabetes in a few different ways, including by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing insulin resistance. Research has shown that getting more activity in the form of a higher daily step count is linked to a lower risk for type 2 diabetes. Even in areas with high air pollution — which is known to increase the risk for type 2 diabetes — exercising may help reduce a person’s diabetes risk. For people who already have diabetes, the importance of regular exercise can’t be overstated. Greater physical activity is linked to fewer blood glucose spikes, and breaking up periods of sitting with short stints of moderate activity is linked to both lower blood pressure and lower blood glucose. Physical activity is linked to a lower risk for dementia in people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, and a combination of aerobic exercise and weight training is linked to greater longevity.
For the latest study, researchers were interested in evaluating whether participating in a supervised exercise program for 12 months had any effect on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes over a 10-year follow-up period. The participants were 220 adults with obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a combination that is linked to a higher risk of developing diabetes. About two-thirds of participants were women, and the average age of participants at the beginning of the study was 54. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three study groups for the initial 12-month study period — with one group completing a supervised vigorous exercise program, one group completing a supervised moderate exercise program, and one group not completing any supervised exercise program, as noted in an article on the study at MedPage Today.
Supervised exercise linked to reduced diabetes risk 10 years later
After the initial study period, all participants were encouraged to follow a health lifestyle that included regular physical activity. By the end of the 10-year follow-up period, 81.4% of participants remained in the study. Participants who had been in the supervised activity groups reduced their physical activity levels over the next 10 years — to the point where it was no longer significantly different from the group that didn’t complete supervised exercise. Still, the researchers found that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes was lower in the supervised exercise groups during the follow-up period — there were 2.1 new diabetes cases for every 100 years of life in the vigorous exercise group, 1.9 new cases for every 100 years lived in the moderate exercise group, and 4.1 new cases for every 100 years lived in the group with no supervised exercise.
The researchers noted that during the initial study period, members of the supervised exercise group were instructed not to change their diet in any way. While body weight tended to be slightly lower in the supervised exercise groups after both two years and 10 years of follow-up, these differences were not statistically significant. Waist circumference, though, was significantly different among the three groups after 10 years — an average of 96.6 centimeters (38.0 inches) for the vigorous exercise group, 96.8 centimeters (38.1 inches) for the moderate exercise group, and 101.4 centimeters (39.9 inches) for the group without supervised exercise.
The researchers concluded that supervised moderate to vigorous exercise could be an effective way to help manage obesity and reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes in people with an elevated diabetes risk. It’s possible, of course, that a longer duration of supervised exercise could help reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes even further, which is a topic that future research could explore.
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