Reports supports supervised exercise for combating diabetes

A new study by scientists in Brazil has found that people who are suffering from type 2 diabetes receive the most benefit from over 150 minutes of structured exercise every week in a supervised fitness or exercise programme which is suited to their needs.
The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Associatio, reviewed information from 47 separate clinical trials and over 8,000 patients in an investigation into how diabetics can achieve the best control of their blood sugar .
The findings showed that the patients who took part in a supervised exercise programme for over 150 minutes per week were better able to reduce their levels of blood sugar than those who were just advised to exercise. The diabetes patients who undertook a supervised exercise training managed to reduce their haemoglobin A1c blood sugar measure by 0.67 per cent as compared to control group participants.
The study also recommended that policymakers should consider reimbursing patients for the cost of membership of a health club, as well as sessions with personal trainers to help them control their diabetes.
Marco Pahor, of the University of Florida, said in an editorial in the journal, “Cost analyses have shown that use of a health plan-sponsored health club benefit by the general older population and by older adults with diabetes was associated with slower increases in total healthcare costs over two years.”