Diabetes in Later Life: Cardio Plus Weights Lowers Blood Sugar
Graded Moderate — an analysis of 34 randomised studies with 2,461 participants; however, the certainty of the individual comparisons ranged from very low to moderate.
- Design
- Meta-analysis
- Participants
- 2,461
- Duration
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- Funding
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In older people with type 2 diabetes, combining aerobic and strength training lowered long-term blood sugar the most.
Exercise is part of treating type 2 diabetes. What has been unclear is which kind of training helps older people's blood sugar most, and how much they need. An analysis that pooled 34 studies with 2,461 participants offers some answers. Combining aerobic exercise with strength training came out on top. It lowered HbA1c, a measure of average blood sugar over recent months, by about one percentage point more than in groups that did not train.
In every study, people were chosen at random to train or not. Their average age was at least 60. Five types of training were compared: aerobic exercise, strength training, short hard intervals, traditional Chinese exercise forms and the combination. All five lowered long-term blood sugar. For fasting blood sugar, a clear effect showed up for the combination, aerobic exercise alone and the Chinese exercise forms. Benefits became measurable from about 500 MET-minutes a week, a unit that combines time and effort.
The authors rate the certainty of the evidence as very low to moderate. Many studies gave patchy details on how well people stuck with training. The analysis does not cover side effects such as low blood sugar or falls. The authors call for more studies to pin down how much training is needed.
Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.