Effects of nutrition and exercise habits in patients with type 2 diabetes

ABSTRACT: Objective: Diet and exercise therapy form the basis of treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of diet and physical activity interventions for patients with T2DM. Methods: We assessed the prospective association between levels of physical activity, diet, and quality of life (QOL) in patients with T2DM. We measured body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, and QOL index (36-item Short Form Health Survey). A total of 300 patients (169 women and 131 men) were enrolled in the study. Results: The mean age and BMI of the patients were 53.50±8.58 years, 30.39±3.97 kg/m2 in women and 56.32±8.80 years, 30.28±1.79 kg/m2 in men, respectively. QOL was significantly increased in patients with T2DM with regular exercise and diet (p=0.001, 0.024, and 0.012). Conclusion: Our findings show that combined diet and physical activity interventions achieved clinically meaningful increase in the QOL. Especially, aerobic exercise program improved the QOL in women with T2DM.