In a comprehensive Danish cohort study spanning nearly two decades, researchers found that leisure-time physical activity significantly lowers the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes mellitus, regardless of occupational physical activity levels.
According to their study published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the researchers analyzed 5,886 adults aged 30 to 60 years and their findings revealed that moderate to vigorous leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) reduced the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) compared with light LTPA (rate ratio [RR] = 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.46–0.85; P < .05).
Conversely, strenuous occupational physical activity (OPA) was associated with a slightly elevated risk, although this association diminished after adjusting for covariates (RR = 1.12; 95% CI = 0.79–1.58).
The physical activity health paradox refers to differing health impacts between OPA and LTPA. This study found that while LTPA consistently demonstrated protective effects against T2DM, OPA did not provide similar benefits. Notably, participants who engaged in sedentary LTPA combined with any level of OPA faced higher T2DM risk compared with those who performed light LTPA and demanding OPA. In contrast, combining moderate/vigorous LTPA with any OPA level significantly reduced T2DM risk.
The study utilized self-reported questionnaires to categorize OPA and LTPA, followed by Poisson regression analysis. Adjustments accounted for education, smoking status, alcohol consumption, family income, and waist circumference. The results demonstrated that moderate/vigorous LTPA provided the most substantial protection against T2DM, even after controlling for potential confounders.
These findings challenge current WHO physical activity guidelines, which do not differentiate between OPA and LTPA. "This is important because detailed knowledge of potentially opposing effects of OPA and LTPA should optimally be incorporated in future PA guidelines as an important contribution to the global prevention of T2DM" wrote Anna Stage, MSc, of the Center for Clinical Research and Prevention at Copenhagen University Hospital, with colleagues.
Disclosure information can be found in the study.
