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Exercise and type 2 diabetes: prevention and control

Updated Six Habits Editorial Team
The short answerLifestyle change is the most powerful tool for preventing type 2 diabetes. In the NIH-funded Diabetes Prevention Program, people with prediabetes who exercised 150 minutes a week and lost 7% of their weight were 58% less likely to develop diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity, strength training and breaking up sitting every 30 minutes.

Key points

What the Diabetes Prevention Program showed

The Diabetes Prevention Program enrolled 3,234 U.S. adults with prediabetes and overweight. The lifestyle group aimed for at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week and a 7% weight loss. Over an average of 2.8 years, lifestyle change lowered the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 58%, compared with 31% for the drug metformin (Knowler et al., 2002). The benefit was seen in all age and ethnic groups and was largest in people 60 and older.

What the ADA recommends

The American Diabetes Association position statement recommends that adults with or at risk of type 2 diabetes (Colberg et al., 2016):

Muscle strengthening matters too: a meta-analysis of cohort studies found that muscle-strengthening activities were linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and death (Momma et al., 2022).

In practice

  1. Walk briskly for 30 minutes on 5 days a week.
  2. Add two strength sessions with bands, weights or body weight.
  3. Take a short walk after meals.
  4. Ask your doctor about joining a National Diabetes Prevention Program.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Diabetes Prevention Program available to me?

Yes. The CDC-recognized National Diabetes Prevention Program is offered in person and online across the U.S., and Medicare covers it for eligible beneficiaries.

Does strength training help blood sugar?

Yes. Muscle is a major site of glucose uptake, and resistance training improves glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes.

Sources

  1. Knowler (Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group) (2002). Reduction in the Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes with Lifestyle Intervention or Metformin. New England Journal of Medicine 346(6):393-403. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa012512
  2. Colberg et al. (2016). Physical Activity/Exercise and Diabetes: A Position Statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care 39(11):2065-2079. doi:10.2337/dc16-1728
  3. Momma et al. (2022). Muscle-strengthening activities are associated with lower risk and mortality in major non-communicable diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. British Journal of Sports Medicine 56(13):755-763. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2021-105061
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Prevention Program. www.cdc.gov

Prepared according to our evidence methodology and the principles of lifestyle medicine. For education only; it does not replace advice from your doctor.

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