# Impact of Physical Activity on Diabetes Symptoms and Balance in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes and Healthy Adults: A Comparative Study

## TL;DR

This study shows that moderate physical activity helps reduce diabetes symptoms and improves balance in people with type 2 diabetes compared to those with low activity.

## Contribution

The study compares the effects of physical activity on diabetes symptoms and balance in T2D patients and healthy individuals with similar activity levels.

## Key findings

- T2D patients with low physical activity had worse diabetes symptoms, body composition, and balance than healthy individuals.
- T2D patients with moderate physical activity showed similar results to healthy individuals in these parameters.
- Moderate physical activity is associated with fewer diabetes complications in T2D patients.

## Abstract

Introduction: Recent studies emphasize that lifestyle changes, including physical activity programs, are at least as effective as pharmacological agents in preventing diabetes. The aim of this study was to compare the body composition, presence of diabetes symptoms, and balance of individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and healthy individuals with the same physical activity level.

Methods: A total of 68 individuals participated in the study, including 34 diabetic patients (17 with moderate physical activity (MPA) and 17 with low physical activity (LPA)) and 34 healthy controls (17 with MPA and 17 with LPA). The demographic characteristics of all groups; exercise habits; blood parameters (HbA1c, glucose, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride levels); duration of diabetes; body composition; and how the individual was affected by the symptoms of diabetes and balance were evaluated.

Results: There was a significantly worse difference in the diabetes symptoms checklist (DSC) score, body composition, and balance between T2D patients with LPA and healthy individuals (p < 0.05). However, when T2D patients and healthy individuals with MPA were compared, the same parameters were found to be better (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: When individuals with T2D and healthy individuals with the same level of physical activity are examined, it is observed that individuals with T2D who engage in MPA are less affected by complications, while those with low levels of physical activity are more affected. Therefore, we believe that increasing physical activity habits will make a significant positive contribution to the control of diabetes.