Fewer Workout Days, Same Lifesaving Gains for Diabetics

Exercise forms a key pillar in diabetes control, yet the question of how much and when to exercise continues to generate controversy. Although clear guidelines emphasize regular workouts, maintaining a consistent schedule remains challenging. There is the so-called weekend warrior, who squeezes all of their exercise activities into one or two days per week. But are these short bursts as effective as a uniform exercise routine (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Association of Weekend Warrior and Other Physical Activity Patterns With Mortality Among Adults With Diabetes: A Cohort Study

Go to source)? This very question formed the core of the study titled 'Association of Weekend Warrior and Other Physical Activity Patterns With Mortality Among Adults With Diabetes: A Cohort Study,' which investigated how varying physical activity patterns influence mortality among adults living with diabetes.

Can Fewer Workout Days Still Save Lives?

The study analyzed data from 5,859 U.S. adults aged 20 and older, all of whom had self-reported diabetes. Researchers calculated an 8.7-year median follow-up period using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) linked to the National Death Index from 2007 and 2018. The main aim was to compare the risk of death among three groups based on their exercise habits:

1. Weekend Warriors (≥150 minutes/week, in 1–2 sessions)
2. Regularly Active (≥150 minutes/week, spread over ≥3 days)
3. Inactive/Insufficiently Active

Key Findings Emphasized

Lower Mortality Risk with Physical Activity:

Weekend warriors and people who exercise regularly were both significantly less likely to die from all-cause and cardiovascular mortality than the inactive ones.

All-Cause Mortality:

• Weekend Warriors: 40%
• Regularly Active: 38%

Cardiovascular Mortality:

• Weekend Warriors: 53%
• Regularly Active: 49%

Why This Matters for People with Diabetes?

Diabetes predisposes people to cardiovascular disease and premature death; therefore, lifestyle modification is critical. Nonetheless, most people are unable to stick to their daily exercise plans due to busy schedules, exhaustion, or physical limitations. The findings of this study offer a viable solution; the frequency of the activity is not the problem, but rather how much of it there is. This freedom allows one to tailor his or her training to his or her lifestyle without jeopardizing the health benefits.

Equal Gains from Different Schedules

The positive outcomes of total weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were similar regardless of whether they were concentrated on weekends or distributed throughout the week.

Intensity and Quantity Still Reign Supreme

In total, what was most important was hitting the ≥150 minutes/week physical activity mark—the how was less important.

Health professionals can now make recommendations for flexible exercise plans for diabetic patients that are based on each individual's lifestyle and availability to exercise.

Limitations to Consider

• The physical activity is self-reported, and thus prone to bias.
• The study failed to differentiate between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
• It does not recognize changes in physical activities over time and is ineffective at measuring other health behaviors.

This is a huge cohort study that sends a strong message of hope and realism: And the message is that as long as you have diabetes, activity even during weekends can dramatically reduce your chances of dying prematurely. Life becomes hectic, but every fragment spent on exercise is rewarded with a significant health return.

Reference:

1. Association of Weekend Warrior and Other Physical Activity Patterns With Mortality Among Adults With Diabetes: A Cohort Study - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40690774/)

Source-Medindia