A recent research review has shown regular exercise to be an effective tool in the control of type 2 diabetes, the condition in which the body cannot properly use the blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin.

The results of 103 studies, which involved a total of 10,455 type 2 diabetes sufferers, were combined, revealing that changes in lifestyle helped diabetes sufferers to gain a greater degree of control over their blood sugar levels.

 It is known that diet, exercise and medication all contribute to the control of diabetes, but this review by a team at the University of Missouri-Columbia isolated the effects of exercise.

The researchers found that diabetes studies which focused on the effects of increased exercise only reported greater benefits than those studies which changed diet, exercise and medication procedures.

Commenting on the findings in the journal Diabetologia, lead study author Dr Vicki Conn from the University of Missouri-Columbia said that the findings could indicate that people find it easier to focus on one thing at a time; ‘It is easy for people to get overwhelmed when asked to make too many changes’ she said.

Conn and her colleagues found that studies which focused on exercise alone reported improvements in blood sugar levels which were twice as great as those reported by mixed studies. The researchers also found that the benefits of exercise were recorded in all participants, regardless of weight or history of poor blood sugar control; ‘The improvements from exercise were equal across the board’ Conn concluded.