ArticleEuropean review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity2018
Exercise or physical activity and cognitive function in adults with type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance or impaired glucose tolerance: a systematic review.
Article in European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 83 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Effects of exercise interventions on cognitive function in sedentary adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- The Impact of Exercise Training on the Brain and Cognition in Type 2 Diabetes, and its Physiological Mediators: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine - open · 2025Pooled it
- The effect of multi-component exercise on cognition function in patients with diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Effect of Exercise on the Cognitive Function of Older Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- International Exercise Recommendations in Older Adults (ICFSR): Expert Consensus Guidelines.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2021Guideline
- Pooled it
- Associations of modifiable lifestyle and clinical factors with cognitive function in adults with type 2 diabetes.Journal of diabetes and its complications · 2026Trial
- Multidomain Intervention Trial for Preventing Cognitive Decline among Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: J-MIND-Diabetes.The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease · 2024Trial
- A multimeal paradigm producing a low glycemic response is associated with modest cognitive benefits relative to a high glycemic response: a randomized, crossover trial in patients with type 2 diabetes.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2023Trial
- Effect of High-Intensity Power Training on Cognitive Function in Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: Secondary Outcomes of the GREAT2DO Study.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2022Trial
- Improving cognition through lifestyle-induced remission of type 2 diabetes: findings from DIABEPIC-2.Acta diabetologica · 2026Article
- Trajectory-Oriented Brain Vulnerability Framework for Cognitive Decline in Type 2 Diabetes.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Optimizing Exercise Prescriptions for Cognitive Subdomains in Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Dose-Response Variables.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Associations of Glycemic Control with Cognitive Flexibility and Mental Health-Related Quality of Life in Type 2 Diabetes.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2026Article
- Protective Role of Physical Exercise and Exercise-Induced FNDC5/Irisin in Combating Diabetes-Related Cognitive Impairment and Autonomic and Peripheral Neuropathies: A Comprehensive Review.Journal of diabetes research · 2026Review
- Does low physical activity cause cognitive decline in elderly type 2 diabetes patients: A propensity score matching analysis.World journal of diabetes · 2025Article
- Combined Exercise and Ursolic Acid Improve Hippocampal Neuronal Markers and Exploratory-Locomotor Behavior in Aged Diabetic Rats.Journal of aging research · 2025Article
- Hypoglycemic effect of peony flowers polyphenols based on gut microbiota and metabolomics.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Global consensus on optimal exercise recommendations for enhancing healthy longevity in older adults (ICFSR).The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDiabetes is an important risk factor for cognitive impairment. Although some studies suggest that physical exercise can minimize age-related cognitive declines or improve brain morphology or function, benefits in diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance are unclear. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of exercise or physical activity on cognition in adults with type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance or impaired glucose tolerance.
methodsAn electronic search for studies published from the earliest record until February 2017 was conducted using Medline, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Any experimental or observational study designs were included, as long as they were conducted in individuals of any age with type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance or impaired glucose tolerance, and they directly examined exercise/physical activity effects on cognitive outcomes or the relationship between changes in cognition and changes in either insulin resistance and glucose homeostasis. Study quality was assessed using the PEDro scale; data on participant and intervention characteristics and outcomes were extracted.
resultsSix studies enrolling 2289 participants met the eligibility criteria. Quality was modest and effect sizes variable and mostly small or negligible. Overall, four of the six studies (67%) reported significant benefits of greater exercise/physical activity participation for some aspects of cognition, but only 26% of cognitive outcomes were significant across all trials. Clinical improvements in insulin resistance/glucose homeostasis were related to improvements in cognitive function in three studies. Overall results were inconsistent, with benefits varying across exercise types and cognitive domains.
conclusionsLiterature does not provide evidence that physical activity or exercise interventions contribute to a better cognitive function in patients with type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance. Large-scale, long-term, robust randomized controlled trials are required to determine if exercise improves cognition in this high-risk cohort, and to investigate putative mechanistic links between cognition, body composition, metabolism, and inflammation in diabetes and related metabolic syndromes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.