Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes

A very large and good Swedish study was published November 13 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology that found that patients with type 2 diabetes who fail to exercise regularly show a 70% greater risk for cardiovascular death than those who exercise at least 3 times a week. High-level activity, or regular exercise, was defined as 30 minutes 3 or more times a week. The researchers were able to control for pre-existing cardiovascular risk factors, so was better able to isolate the effects of exercise. This observational study included a total of 15,462 male and female patients of mean age 60, with type 2 diabetes. The data also pointed out that starting an exercise program after previously being sedentary showed significant positive benefits.