Mixed
In adults with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity, maintaining high physical activity volume combined with weight loss significantly reduces the risk of adverse cardiovascular events, whereas either intervention alone does not.
If you have type 2 diabetes and are overweight, relying on just losing weight or just exercising may not be enough to protect your heart. You need to do both: maintain a significant weight loss (at least 7%) AND keep your physical activity levels high (moderate-to-vigorous) over the long term. This combination offers a much stronger defense against heart attacks and strokes than either strategy alone.
Compared with those with low PA volume and no weight loss (105 [15.8%]), maintaining high PA volume and weight loss was associated with a 61% lower risk of the primary end point (hazard ratio, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.19-0.81; P = .01). However, there was no significant difference in the risk of the primary end point among those with either weight loss only or high PA only.
Why this rating
Post hoc analysis of a large, multicenter RCT with long-term follow-up and objective accelerometry measures, though not a pre-specified primary endpoint.
Source
Physical Activity and Weight Loss Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes and Overweight or Obesity
Zihao Huang et al. · JAMA Network Open · 2024
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