Structured exercise improves blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes, review finds
A review of 50 randomized trials found structured exercise improved blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. Longer programs and more weekly exercise were linked to larger effects, but no training mode clearly outperformed the others.
Frontiers in Endocrinology published the review on November 10. The analysis pooled 50 randomized trials and 123 effect sizes in adults with type 2 diabetes.1
Structured exercise improved blood sugar across the studies. The review found improvements in glycated hemoglobin, fasting glucose and glucose measured two hours after meals.1
Longer programs and greater weekly exercise volume were associated with larger effects, but intensity alone was not. High-intensity interval and combined training showed the largest estimates, but differences between exercise types were not significant.1
The authors cautioned that results varied widely and that exercise dose came from study-level estimates. They said the findings did not establish individual exercise targets or show that one training mode was best for all.1
