Inverse association between physical activity and blood glucose is independent of sex, menopause status and first-degree family history of diabetes

Abstract

Aims/introduction: Exercise training is a recognized strategy central to the prevention, treatment, and management of diabetes and prediabetes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between physical activity and blood glucose, as well as the influence of sex, menopause status and family history of diabetes.

Materials and methods: Participants with normal weight were selected from Risk Evaluation of Cancers in Chinese Diabetic Individuals: A Longitudinal Study, and divided into inactive (moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity [MVPA] <30 min/week), low-degree (MVPA ≥30 and ≤420 min/week) and high-degree (MVPA >420 min/week) activity groups.

Results: A total of 2,601 individuals with an average age of 57.85 ± 8.39 years were enrolled. Multivariate anova uncovered that after adjustment for sex and menopause status, and family history of diabetes, respectively, fasting plasma glucose, 2-h plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin A1c decreased through inactive, low-degree and high-degree activity groups (all P for trend <0.05). The association of blood glucose indexes with physical activity was independent of this association with sex and menopause status, and first-degree family history of diabetes, respectively. Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that MVPA was an independent factor associated negatively with fasting plasma glucose, 2-h plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin A1c, respectively (all P < 0.01).

Conclusions: A higher degree of physical activity was associated with lower blood glucose regardless of sex, menopause status and first-degree family history of diabetes. MVPA is a negative factor associated with blood glucose independently. Physical activity of adequate duration and intensity is strongly recommended to individuals with susceptibility to diabetes as a result of sex and family history, but without overweight/obesity.

Keywords: Moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity; Plasma glucose; Sex difference.