Physical activity, sedentary time vital for weight management in diabetics

Both physical activity and sedentary time need to be taken into consideration when managing body weight among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), reports a new Japan study.

The study included 236 T2D patients who were grouped into three according to daily walking steps: nonstep counter user (NU), <7,500 steps (LS), or ≥7,500 steps (HS). Sedentary time (ST) was estimated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form. Outcomes included changes in body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and visceral fat accumulation (VFA) over 12 months.

Wilcoxon’s signed-rank tests showed that glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels significantly worsened in the NU group with long ST after 6 (p<0.0001) and 12 (p=0.0005) months. Twelve-month BMI, on the other hand, improved in HS participants regardless of ST length; those with HS daily also showed better WC at 12 months vs baseline.

Multivariable analysis showed that the LS (odds ratio [OR], 1.93, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.04–3.57; p=0.037) and HS (OR, 1.87, 95 percent CI, 0.90–3.86; p=0.092) groups were nearly twice as likely as their NU comparators to see improvements in HbA1c.

The same was true for both LS (OR, 2.08, 95 percent CI, 1.11–3.89; p=0.023) and HS (OR, 2.85, 95 percent CI, 1.33–6.09; p=0.007) as regards BMI. Both groups also saw significantly higher likelihood of improvement in WC and VFA. All outcomes were compared against the NU group and adjusted for ST as a continuous variable.

Further stratification according to ST revealed that the beneficial effect of walking on body weight and composition was more pronounced among those with long ST.