Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Oct 26:12:20420188211054686.
doi: 10.1177/20420188211054686. eCollection 2021.

The importance of physical activity in management of type 2 diabetes and COVID-19

Samuel Seidu  1 , Kamlesh Khunti  2 , Tom Yates  2 , Abdullah Almaqhawi  3 , M J Davies  2 , Jack Sargeant  2
Affiliations
Review

The importance of physical activity in management of type 2 diabetes and COVID-19

Samuel Seidu et al. Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab. .

Abstract

Over time, various guidelines have emphasised the importance of physical activity and exercise training in the management of type 2 diabetes, chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of physical activity in people with type 2 diabetes and COVID-19. Most research to date indicates that people with type 2 diabetes who engage in both aerobic and resistance exercise see the greatest improvements in insulin sensitivity. Physical activity is now also known to be effective at reducing hospitalisation rates of respiratory viral diseases, such as COVID-19, due to the beneficial impacts of exercise on the immune system. Preliminary result indicates that home-based exercise may be an essential component in future physical activity recommendations given the current COVID-19 pandemic and the need for social distancing. This home-based physical exercise can be easily regulated and monitored using step counters and activity trackers, enabling individuals to manage health issues that benefit from physical exercise.

Keywords: COVID-19; diabetes; exercise; management.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Physical activity types and known benefits.,
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. World Health Organization. Definition, diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus and its complications: report of a WHO consultation. Part 1, Diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1999.
    1. Number of people with diabetes reaches 4.8 million. Diabetes UK, https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/diabetes-prevalence-2019
    1. Diabetes UK. Diabetes UK facts and stats, https://www.diabetes.org.uk/professionals/position-statements-reports/st...
    1. World Health Organization. Global status report on noncommunicable diseases 2014. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2014. - PubMed
    1. NHS Digital. Prescribing for diabetes in England 2008/09–2018/19, https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/pre...

LinkOut - more resources