Physical exercise halts progression of Type 1 diabetes in kids with diabetes-related autoantibodies

In this study, the team investigated the physical activity and its association with the development of islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes in genetically at-risk children.

As part of the TEDDY study, an annual assessment of activity using accelerometry was done from the age of five. Researchers in the present study assessed the association between time spent performing physical activity daily and the appearance of one or several autoantibodies and progression to type 1 diabetes in three risk groups.

The risk groups are:

• 3,869 islet autoantibody (IA)-negative children. One hundred fifty-seven became single IA positive.
• 302 single IA-positive children. Seventy-three became multiple-IA positive.
• Of two hundred ninety-four multiple IA-positive children, 148 developed type 1 diabetes.

The study results are:

• There was no significant association in risk group 1 or risk group 2.
• There was a significant association in risk group 3 with a hazard ratio of 0.920 per 10-min increase, mainly when glutamate decarboxylase autoantibody was the first autoantibody with a hazard ratio of 0.883 per 10-min increase.

They said that the more daily minutes spent in physical activity, moderate/vigorous, the less the risk of progression to T1D in children aged 5-15 years with multiple IAs.

Further reading:

Liu X, Johnson SB, Lynch KF, Cordan K, Pate R, Butterworth MD, Lernmark Å, Hagopian WA, Rewers MJ, McIndoe RA, Toppari J, Ziegler AG, Akolkar B, Krischer JP, Yang J; TEDDY Study Group. Physical Activity and the Development of Islet Autoimmunity and Type 1 Diabetes in 5-15-Year-Old Children Followed in the TEDDY Study. Diabetes Care. 2023 May 4:dc230036. Doi: 10.2337/dc23-0036.