Physical Activity in the Morning, Afternoon May Lower Type 2 Diabetes Risk

A recent study published in Diabetologia showed that performing physical activity in the morning and afternoon is linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Physical activity is a known preventive factor of type 2 diabetes, but less is understood about the ideal timing and consistency. Previous research has shown that performing physical activity in the midday-to-afternoon range, but not in the evening, is correlated with a lower risk of death compared with performing physical activity in the morning. However, a similar association with type 2 diabetes has yet to be elucidated.

In this study, 93,095 participants from the United Kingdom (average age, 62 years) without a history of type 2 diabetes wore a wrist-worn accelerometer for 1 week. The investigators used the accelerometer data to estimate the metabolic equivalent of task (MET), which is a common measure of physical activity. They noted the MET-hour (h) measurement captures all forms of physical activity performed throughout the day, including chores, walking, and vigorous activity. Completed METs were then captured at 3 time points, 06:00 to 12:00 hours (morning), 12:00 to 18:00 hours (afternoon), and 18:00 to 24:00 hours (evening).

Physical Activity Offers Diabetes Protection

The findings demonstrated the protective attributes of physical activity. Each 1-unit increase in MET was associated with a 10% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes in the morning and a 9% reduced risk in the afternoon. The results also showed a linear relationship between morning and afternoon physical activity, meaning that study subjects with a higher number of completed MET-hs had a much lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with a lower number.

“Our findings support that total physical activity but not its consistency over the week may be an important factor impacting type 2 diabetes risk. The timing of activity may play a role in mitigation of diabetes risk,” the investigators concluded. “The findings also suggest it is helpful to include some higher-intensity activity to help reduce the risk of developing diabetes and other cardiovascular disease,” they added.