Fatness and fitness: how do they influence health-related quality of life in type 2 diabetes mellitus?
2008

Fatness and Fitness: Their Impact on Quality of Life in Type 2 Diabetes

Sample size: 217 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Wendy L. Bennett, Pamela Ouyang, Albert W. Wu, Bethany B. Barone, Kerry J. Stewart

Primary Institution: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Hypothesis

Reduced adiposity and higher fitness levels would attenuate the association of type 2 diabetes with health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Conclusion

Improved fitness, even more than reduced fatness, attenuated the association of type 2 diabetes with HRQOL.

Supporting Evidence

  • Participants with type 2 diabetes reported lower HRQOL compared to those without diabetes.
  • Higher fitness levels were associated with better HRQOL outcomes.
  • Type 2 diabetes was linked to significant reductions in general health and physical component scores.

Takeaway

Being fit helps people with type 2 diabetes feel better, even more than just losing weight.

Methodology

This was a cross-sectional study using baseline data from two exercise training interventions, assessing fitness, fatness, and HRQOL.

Potential Biases

Potential confounding due to unmeasured co-morbidities and differences in antihypertensive therapy between groups.

Limitations

Participants were volunteers with well-controlled diabetes, which may limit generalizability; different age criteria for studies may introduce confounding.

Participant Demographics

Participants included 98 with type 2 diabetes and 119 without, with a mean age of 63.8 years for those without diabetes and 56.9 years for those with diabetes.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1477-7525-6-110

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