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Exercise protects against glucose intolerance in individuals with a small body size at birth

Exercise protects against glucose intolerance in individuals with a small body size at birth
Exercise protects against glucose intolerance in individuals with a small body size at birth
Background: Small body size at birth is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. We investigated whether regular exercise is related to lower rates of glucose intolerance in individuals with a small body size at birth and whether birth size affects exercise habits in adulthood.
Methods: Five hundred subjects aged 65–75 years with data on birth measurements underwent an oral glucose tolerance test. They reported their weekly exercise frequency and intensity and yearly physical leisure time activity.
Results: Frequent (?3/week) or moderate weekly exercise and yearly physical activity were all related to lower rates of glucose intolerance. This effect was, however, dependent on birth size, being strongest among subjects with a small body size at birth (birth weight ?3000 g and/or ponderal index ?26 kg/m3). Among men, frequency (P = 0.033) and intensity (P = 0.030) of exercise as well as yearly physical activity (P = 0.005) correlated inversely with birth size.
Conclusions: Subjects predisposed to Type 2 diabetes due to a small birth size are strongly protected from glucose intolerance by regular exercise. Although a small body size at birth is related to a smaller muscle mass in adulthood, men born thin exercised more in adulthood than those not born thin. In these elderly subjects this might indicate the survival of the fittest.
exercise, glucose intolerance, type 2 diabetes, birth weight, lifestyle, prevention
0091-7435
164-167
Eriksson, Johan G.
eb96b1c5-af07-4a52-8a73-7541451d32cd
Ylihärsilä, Hilkka
42504362-ed30-4a9f-aa44-40027c901a01
Forsén, Tom
71e12224-d830-4202-9b7c-ee8fe47a4d54
Osmond, Clive
2677bf85-494f-4a78-adf8-580e1b8acb81
Barker, David J. P.
84efdf7a-7c52-45fc-aa16-9647f3743c27
Eriksson, Johan G.
eb96b1c5-af07-4a52-8a73-7541451d32cd
Ylihärsilä, Hilkka
42504362-ed30-4a9f-aa44-40027c901a01
Forsén, Tom
71e12224-d830-4202-9b7c-ee8fe47a4d54
Osmond, Clive
2677bf85-494f-4a78-adf8-580e1b8acb81
Barker, David J. P.
84efdf7a-7c52-45fc-aa16-9647f3743c27

Eriksson, Johan G., Ylihärsilä, Hilkka, Forsén, Tom, Osmond, Clive and Barker, David J. P. (2004) Exercise protects against glucose intolerance in individuals with a small body size at birth. Preventive Medicine, 39 (1), 164-167. (doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.01.035).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: Small body size at birth is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. We investigated whether regular exercise is related to lower rates of glucose intolerance in individuals with a small body size at birth and whether birth size affects exercise habits in adulthood.
Methods: Five hundred subjects aged 65–75 years with data on birth measurements underwent an oral glucose tolerance test. They reported their weekly exercise frequency and intensity and yearly physical leisure time activity.
Results: Frequent (?3/week) or moderate weekly exercise and yearly physical activity were all related to lower rates of glucose intolerance. This effect was, however, dependent on birth size, being strongest among subjects with a small body size at birth (birth weight ?3000 g and/or ponderal index ?26 kg/m3). Among men, frequency (P = 0.033) and intensity (P = 0.030) of exercise as well as yearly physical activity (P = 0.005) correlated inversely with birth size.
Conclusions: Subjects predisposed to Type 2 diabetes due to a small birth size are strongly protected from glucose intolerance by regular exercise. Although a small body size at birth is related to a smaller muscle mass in adulthood, men born thin exercised more in adulthood than those not born thin. In these elderly subjects this might indicate the survival of the fittest.

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More information

Published date: 2004
Keywords: exercise, glucose intolerance, type 2 diabetes, birth weight, lifestyle, prevention

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 25473
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/25473
ISSN: 0091-7435
PURE UUID: bc13c0ab-1a95-47fa-b626-0779a9b924d0
ORCID for Clive Osmond: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9054-4655

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Date deposited: 11 Apr 2006
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:50

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Contributors

Author: Johan G. Eriksson
Author: Hilkka Ylihärsilä
Author: Tom Forsén
Author: Clive Osmond ORCID iD
Author: David J. P. Barker

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