McKinney Chiropractor Best Practices
Research Commentary;
Exercise to Improve Life Quality
A review of
Shah SZA, Karam JA, Zeb A, Ullah R, Shah A, Haq IU, Ali I, Darain H, Chen H. Movement is Improvement: The Therapeutic Effects of Exercise and General Physical Activity on Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Diabetes Ther. 2021 Mar;12(3):707-732. doi: 10.1007/s13300-021-01005-1. Epub 2021 Feb 5. PMID: 33547579; PMCID: PMC7947168.
By Dr. Erik Waldeland
Summarized Review Conclusions
Exercise is considered a cornerstone in achieving an optimized blood glucose level and reducing body weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference. This study aimed to investigate and quantitatively summarize the literature regarding the therapeutic effects of exercise and general physical activity on glycemic control. The research review concluded that Exercise plays an important role in optimizing glycemic control and improving quality of life (QoL), BMI, and waist circumference in type 2 DM patients, and that it should be considered a very effective method for managing symptoms.
“Our meta-analysis of 26 studies reported patient HbA1c levels revealed that exercise intervention significantly improved patient HbA1c levels.”
“Exercise improves wellbeing and enhances the quality of life. Two studies showed that exercise led to improved psychological functioning [33], significant improvements in overall QoL, sexuality, mobility, anxiety and worry, diabetes control, and severity, and no significant change in the social burden domain.”
Introduction to the Research
Diabetes mellitus (DM), a very common medical condition, is associated with decreased production of insulin or an inability of the body to utilize it properly (types 1 and 2 DM, respectively). Type 2 DM is the most prevalent form of diabetes, accounting for nearly 90% of all cases of diabetes. According to statistics from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the estimated combined global prevalence of type 1 and type 2 DM, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, was 463.0 million adults aged 20–79 years in 2019. Based on this 2019 estimation, a prevalence of 578.4 million is projected by the year 2030, and if the present trend continues, 700.2 million adults aged 20–79 years will be diabetic by 2045. Exercise has proven to be one of the most beneficial interventions for diabetes and the related symptoms.
Research Methodology
A total of 21,559 articles were identified through different databases. Out of 21559 studies, only 32 randomized controlled trials were deemed eligible for inclusion in this study. The average exercise session was 45.15 min, while the average follow-up duration was 21.94 weeks. The mean exercise frequency according to our findings was 3.25 days/week. Almost all the studies reported decreases in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c; P < 0.0001), fasting blood glucose (P = 0.03), BMI (P = 0.04), and waist circumference (P = 0.007) after the exercise intervention.
Research Findings
Exercise is the cornerstone to good Glycemic control in type 2 DM patients. Exercise training can lead to significant anthropometric changes and enhance the quality of life. An exercise plan involving 40- to 60-min sessions 3–5 days per week or 150 min of exercise per week can significantly improve glycemic control, BMI, and waist circumference. However, according to our findings, structured exercise performed as rarely as 1–2 days per week can also reduce blood glucose. Although considered to be less intense activities, general physical activity and walking could still help to reduce blood glucose.
As always with these reviews, these are my takeaways from the article and I encourage you to read the article in its entirety. The references used in this article by the authors of this article are listed here.
Our Message
When you are looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our McKinney Doctors, located near West Ridge, near the corner of S. Stonebridge Dr. and Eldorado Pkwy., are here to teach you that taking care of your mental health and getting the proper nutrients is just as important as the chiropractic adjustment to stay healthy.