Leisure-time physical activity was linked to a decreased risk for type 2 diabetes in patients with vascular disease or poorly controlled risk factors, according to data from the ongoing Second Manifestations of Arterial Disease study in the Netherlands.
The benefit of physical activity was present at any level of body mass index, reported Dr. Beate G. Brouwer of University Medical Center Utrecht and colleagues.
They studied the effect of leisure-time physical activity, as well as the combined effect of such activity and nonobesity, on the incidence of type 2 diabetes in 3,940 patients with arterial disease or a cardiovascular risk factor. Their mean age was 55 years; 68% were male, and 16% were obese, with a BMI of at least 30 kg/m
Most patients (65%) were not physically active (0 metabolic equivalent [MET] hr/week), 25% were sufficiently active (more than 10.5 MET hr/week), and 10% were insufficiently active (0.5-10.5 MET hr/week) (Diab. Res. Clin. Pract. 2009 [doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2009.12.001
A total of 194 incident cases of type 2 diabetes were reported during a mean follow-up of 4.7 years. Patients with sufficient physical activity had a lower risk of incident type 2 diabetes than those with no physical activity. Analysis of the combined effect of leisure-time physical activity and body mass index revealed that “low-risk patients who are physically active and not obese had the lowest risk for type 2 diabetes,” they reported.
Dr. Brouwer and coauthors reported that they had no conflicts of interest related to the study.