The Impact of Physical Activity on the Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes: Evidence and Lessons Learned From the Diabetes Prevention Program, a Long-Standing Clinical Trial Incorporating Subjective and Objective Activity Measures
Andrea M. Kriska, Bonny Rockette‐Wagner, Sharon L. Edelstein, George A. Bray, Linda M. Delahanty, Mary A. Hoskin, Edward S. Horton, Elizabeth M. Venditti, William C. Knowler, George A. Bray, Kishore M. Gadde, Iris W. Culbert, Jennifer Arceneaux, Annie Chatellier, Amber Dragg, Catherine M. Champagne, Crystal Duncan, Barbara Eberhardt, Frank L. Greenway, Fonda G. Guillory, April A. Herbert, Michael L. Jeffirs, Betty M. Kennedy, Erma Levy, Monica Lockett, Jennifer C. Lovejoy, Laura H. Morris, Lee E. Melancon, Donna H. Ryan, Deborah A. Sanford, Kenneth G. C. Smith, Lisa L. Smith, Julia A. St. Amant, Richard T. Tulley, Paula C. Vicknair, Donald Williamson, Jeffery J. Zachwieja, Kenneth S. Polonsky, Janet Tobian, David A. Ehrmann, Margaret J. Matulik, Bart Clark, Kirsten Czech, Catherine DeSandre, Ruthanne Hilbrich, Wylie McNabb, Ann R. Semenske, Jose F. Caro, Kevin Furlong, Barry J. Goldstein, Pamela G. Watson, Kellie A. Smith, Jewel Mendoza, Wendi Wildman, Renee Liberoni, John Spandorfer, Constance Pepe, Richard P. Donahue, Ronald Goldberg, Ronald J. Prineas, Jeanette Calles, Juliet Ojito, Patricia M. Rowe, Paul Cassanova-Romero, Sumaya Castillo-Florez, Hermes Flórez, Anna Giannella, Lascelles Kirby, Carmen Larreal, Olga Lara, Valerie McLymont, Jadell Mendez, Arlette Perry, Patrice G. Saab, Beth Veciana, Steven M. Haffner, Helen P. Hazuda, Maria G. Montez, Kathy Hattaway, Carlos Lorenzo, Arlene Martinez, Tatiana Walker, Dana Dabelea, Richard F. Hamman, Patricia V. Nash, Sheila C. Steinke, Lisa Testaverde, Denise Anderson, Larry B. Ballonoff, Alexis Bouffard, Brian C. Bucca, B. Ned Calonge, Lynne Delve, Martha Farago, James O. Hill, Shelley R. Hoyer, Tonya Jenkins, Bonnie T. Jortberg, Dione Lenz, Marsha Miller
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Across the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) follow-up, cumulative diabetes incidence remained lower in the lifestyle compared with the placebo and metformin randomized groups and could not be explained by weight. Collection of self-reported physical activity (PA) (yearly) with cross-sectional objective PA (in follow-up) allowed for examination of PA and its long-term impact on diabetes prevention. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Yearly self-reported PA and diabetes assessment and oral glucose tolerance test results (fasting glucose semiannually) were collected for 3,232 participants with one accelerometry assessment 11–13 years after randomization (n = 1,793). Mixed models determined PA differences across treatment groups. The association between PA and diabetes incidence was examined using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS There was a 6% decrease (Cox proportional hazard ratio 0.94 [95% CI 0.92, 0.96]; P < 0.001) in diabetes incidence per 6 MET-h/week increase in time-dependent PA for the entire cohort over an average of 12 years (controlled for age, sex, baseline PA, and weight). The effect of PA was greater (12% decrease) among participants less active at baseline (<7.5 MET-h/week) (n = 1,338) (0.88 [0.83, 0.93]; P < 0.0001), with stronger findings for lifestyle participants. Lifestyle had higher cumulative PA compared with metformin or placebo (P < 0.0001) and higher accelerometry total minutes per day measured during follow-up (P = 0.001 and 0.047). All associations remained significant with the addition of weight in the models. CONCLUSIONS PA was inversely related to incident diabetes in the entire cohort across the study, with cross-sectional accelerometry results supporting these findings. This highlights the importance of PA within lifestyle intervention efforts designed to prevent diabetes and urges health care providers to consider both PA and weight when counseling high-risk patients.