• Steven Reinberg
• Posted September 24, 2020

Exercise Ups Life Span for Type 2 Diabetics

For someone with type 2 diabetes, exercise can cut the risk of dying early by as much as one-third, researchers report.

Exercise improves insulin sensitivity, reduces the risk of heart disease, and inhibits inflammation, said the Taiwanese research team.

Among nearly 5,000 men and women with type 2 diabetes, those with a higher level of exercise had a lower risk of dying during the study period, compared with those who didn't exercise, the researchers found.

Those who did a moderate amount of exercise had a 25% lower risk of early death, and those who exercised the most had a 32% lower risk of dying.

The study was done by Dr. Yun-Ju Lai and colleagues at Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Puli Branch, in Nantou, Taiwan.

Lai's team used data from National Health Interview Surveys from 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013, and the National Health Insurance research database in Taiwan. Participants were followed until 2016.

The study results were recently presented at the virtual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

"Among people with type 2 diabetes, those with increased exercise capacity had a significantly decreased risk of all-cause mortality. Further studies should investigate the type and dose of exercise that is most helpful to promote health and prolong life expectancy," the researchers said in a meeting news release.

Data and conclusions presented at meetings are usually considered preliminary until peer-reviewed for publication in a medical journal.

More information

For more on type 2 diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association.

SOURCE: European Association for the Study of Diabetes, news release, Sept. 20, 2020