Lifestyle interventions and physical activity

The authors of the single diabetes-related Cochrane review published in December find moderate-quality evidence for the ability of diet plus exercise to ward off type 2 diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance.

Real-life data show that a structured weight management program can lead to sustained weight loss, improved glycemic control, and a reduced need for medication in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objectively measured physical activity is associated with a reduction in cardiometabolic risk markers among people with prediabetes, and the total time spent being active is at least as important as exercise intensity, researchers report.

A meta-analysis shows that although medications and lifestyle changes can both reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes in high-risk patients, only lifestyle modifications have a sustained effect.

A randomized controlled trial confirms previous observational findings that active commuting is an effective means of reducing body fat, equivalent to doing five sessions of vigorous activity per week.

Patients with type 2 diabetes should be encouraged to walk or cycle to work to help reduce the burden of the disease.

The PURE study shows that the cardiovascular disease and mortality risk reductions attainable with regular physical activity apply regardless of whether people live in countries with high, middle, or low income.

Physical activity is linked to lower mortality risk among patients with type 1 diabetes irrespective of whether they have comorbid chronic kidney disease, study results suggest.

Adding an intensive lifestyle intervention to usual care slightly improves glycemic control but substantially reduces the need for glucose-lowering medication among patients with non–insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes, suggest trial results published as a preliminary communication in JAMA.

An online game delivering diabetes self-management education helps improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes, study results suggest.

Session attendance was only moderate and self-monitoring very poor in youths with type 2 diabetes who participated in the TODAY lifestyle programme, an analysis shows.

A machine-learning analysis suggests the existence of heterogeneous treatment effects in the Look AHEAD trial, which could account for the overall neutral effect of the study intervention on cardiovascular outcomes.

Cochrane reviewers have assessed the effectiveness of behavior-changing interventions in overweight and obese children, finding an indication of benefit but based on mostly low-quality evidence.

Researchers find that the increased risk for type 2 diabetes among patients taking statins is limited to the least fit individuals.

Research suggests that interspersing prolonged sitting with upper body exercise can help people with limited mobility or weight-bearing problems to limit their postprandial glycemic response.

A randomized trial published in the Annals of Internal Medicine demonstrates the success of switching patients to an intervention designed to promote a stable weight, after initial weight loss.

Frequency may be the strongest physical activity determinant of long-term risk for incident cardiovascular disease events in patients with type 1 diabetes, report researchers.

Research shows that people who pack their weekly recommended minimum dose of exercise into one or two sessions still reap a good proportion of the benefits – although more frequent exercise would still be better.

Researchers have expanded on their previous findings to demonstrate that the metabolic benefits of interrupting prolonged sitting with periods of light exercise extend for many hours after the intervention.

Taking up healthy eating and exercise does not prevent obese pregnant women from developing gestational diabetes, despite having marked effects on weight gain, show the findings of a randomized trial.