Lower Risk of Mortality for Diabetes Patients Who Exercise

Norwegian researchers found adults with diabetes were two to three times as likely as those without the condition to die from CVD. However, diabetes patients who reported 1 to 2 hours of weekly exercise had a similar risk as inactive adults who didn‘t have diabetes, researchers wrote. "In conclusion, the results from this prospective cohort study show that inactive people with diabetes had almost three-fold higher risk of cardiovascular death compared with those without diabetes. The excess risk was reduced with increasing amount of leisure-time physical activity. Thus physical activity may, to a large extent, cancel out the detrimental effect of diabetes on cardiovascular death, at least among those healthy enough to do physical exercise. Furthermore, the results suggest that one to two hours of non-vigorous activity may be sufficient to obtain a favorable effect." Diabetes Care, March 2013