Intensified Exercise Program May Provide Blood Sugar Benefits to Prediabetics

Prediabetics are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. A recent study suggests that an intensified exercise program may provide blood sugar benefits to prediabetics at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 

Participants in the study included 1,105 adults with prediabetes. They were classified as being at high or low risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Participants at high risk were assigned to a conventional exercise program or an intensified exercise program, which involved double the amount of exercise. Low risk participants were assigned to a conventional exercise program or a control group. 

High risk participants who completed the intensified exercise program saw significantly greater reductions in blood glucose levels, liver fat, and cardiovascular disease risk compared to those in the conventional exercise program. They also saw greater normalization of glucose tolerance three years after the study.  Low risk participants who completed the conventional exercise program also saw greater normalization of glucose tolerance three years after the study compared to those in the control group. 

The study was conducted by researchers from Eberhard-Karls University Tübingen. It was published on September 16, 2021 in the journal Diabetes.