150 Minutes of Weekly Exercise Lowers Mortality Risk in People with Diabetes: Study
USA: People with diabetes who complete at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week-whether distributed across several days or concentrated in one or two sessions—appear to have a lower risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular-related conditions than those who remain inactive, a new study has found.
Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the research, led by Zhiyuan Wu from the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, explored how different patterns of physical activity affect mortality outcomes in individuals with diabetes.
The study analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey collected between 1997 and 2018, with mortality records linked from the National Death Index up to the end of 2019. A total of 51,650 U.S. adults who self-reported having diabetes were included in the analysis.
Participants were grouped into four categories based on their reported weekly engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA): inactive (no MVPA), insufficiently active (less than 150 minutes per week), weekend warriors (at least 150 minutes per week in 1–2 sessions), and regularly active (at least 150 minutes per week in three or more sessions).
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
