Daily exercise doesn't further improve glycemic control

(HealthDay) -- For individuals with type 2 diabetes, 30 minutes of moderate-intensity endurance exercise once a day or an hour every other day are equally effective for controlling hyperglycemia, according to a study published online March 7 in Diabetes Care.

To investigate the impact of daily exercise versus exercise performed every other day on glycemic control, Jan-Willem Van Dijk, of the Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and associates conducted a randomized crossover study of 30 patients with type 2 diabetes who were investigated on three occasions for three days under strict dietary standardization.

The researchers found that the prevalence of hyperglycemia was reduced significantly, from 32 ± 4 percent of the time to 24 ± 4 and 24 ± 3 percent of the time for daily exercise and exercise performed every other day, respectively. There were no differences seen for the impact of exercise performed every day or every other day.

"A short 30-minute session of moderate-intensity endurance-type exercise substantially reduces the prevalence of hyperglycemia throughout the subsequent day in type 2 diabetic patients," the authors write. "When total work is being matched, daily exercise does not further improve daily glycemia compared with exercise performed every other day."