150 Minutes of Weekly Exercise Lowers Mortality Risk in People with Diabetes: Study

The study led to the following findings:

• Over a median follow-up of 9.5 years, 16,345 deaths were recorded, including 5,620 from cardiovascular causes and 2,883 from cancer.
• Compared to inactive individuals, all-cause mortality risk was 10% lower in the insufficiently active group, 21% lower in weekend warriors, and 17% lower in the regularly active group.
• Cardiovascular mortality showed the most notable reductions, with weekend warriors experiencing a 33% lower risk and regularly active individuals showing a 19% lower risk.
• The insufficiently active group showed only a marginal, non-significant reduction in cardiovascular mortality risk.
• Cancer-related mortality differences were less striking across all activity groups.
• Only the regularly active group demonstrated a statistically significant 15% reduction in cancer-related mortality.
• Weekend warriors did not experience a notable decrease in cancer-related death risk compared to inactive participants.

While the findings highlight the potential health benefits of meeting activity recommendations even through compressed or irregular schedules, the authors noted a limitation: physical activity levels were self-reported at a single point in time, which may not accurately reflect long-term behavior.

The authors concluded, "Nonetheless, the study offers valuable insight for diabetes management, suggesting that even those who can only find time to exercise on weekends may still gain substantial survival benefits."

Reference:

Zhiyuan Wu, Chen Sheng, Zheng Guo, et al. Association of Weekend Warrior and Other Physical Activity Patterns With Mortality Among Adults With Diabetes: A Cohort Study. Ann Intern Med. [Epub 22 July 2025]. doi:10.7326/ANNALS-25-00640