Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34510392›Full record

ArticleDiabetes therapy : research, treatment and education of diabetes and related disorders2021

The Therapeutic Effects of Mild to Moderate Intensity Aerobic Exercise on Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials.

Siyao Gao, Jialing Tang, Guozhong Yi, Zhong Li, Zhenyin Chen, Ling Yu, Feng Zheng, Yajing Hu, Zhangui Tang

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Diabetes therapy : research, treatment and education of diabetes and related disorders, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. The Impact of Physical Activity in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.American journal of lifestyle medicine · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Siyao GaoDepartment of Physical Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
Jialing TangDepartment of Physical Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, People's Republic of China. siyaog@163.com.
Guozhong YiDepartment of Physical Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
Zhong LiDepartment of Physical Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
Zhenyin ChenDepartment of Physical Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
Ling YuDepartment of Physical Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
Feng ZhengDepartment of Physical Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
Yajing HuDepartment of Physical Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
Zhangui TangDepartment of Cardiovascular Disease, Zhejiang University Medical College Teaching Hospital, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Central South University · CNZhejiang University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionIt has been recommended that physical activity be a part of treatment and management regimens of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and research has shown that regular physical exercise facilitates glycemic control in these patients. In this analysis, our aim was to systematically show the therapeutic effects of mild to moderate intensity aerobic exercise on glycemic control in patients with T2DM.

methodsFrom February to April 2021, we searched the https://www.clinicaltrials.gov , EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science and Google Scholar databases for trials that showed the effects of aerobic exercise on glycemic control in patients with T2DM. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was the endpoint in the analysis. The RevMan version 5.4 statistical program was used for statistical analysis, and the mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) used to represent the data following analysis.

resultsEighteen trials involving 972 participants with T2DM were included in this meta-analysis, of whom 523 were assigned to an exercise group and 449 were assigned to a control group. A comparison pre- versus post-aerobic exercise showed that aerobic exercise significantly improved glycemic control (HbA1c) (MD 0.35, 95% CI 0.23-0.48; P = 0.00001) in these patients with T2DM. A second comparison, T2DM participants in the experimental group post-exercise versus T2DM participants from the control group at the end of the follow-up, also showed that aerobic exercise significantly improved glycemic control (MD - 0.46, 95% CI - 0.69 to - 0.22; P = 0.0001). However, a comparison of HbA1c of T2DM participants in the control group at the beginning of the study compared to those at the end of follow-up did not show any significant improvement in glycemic control (MD 0.08, 95% CI - 0.05 to 0.21; P = 0.21).

conclusionThe current analysis showed that mild to moderate intensity aerobic exercise significantly improved glycemic control in patients with T2DM. Patients with T2DM who regularly participated in aerobic exercise activities had a better control of their disease than those who were not on a regular aerobic exercise regimen. These results lead to the recommendation that at least mild to moderate intensity aerobic exercise should be included in the treatment and management regimens of patients with T2DM.

Indexed as

Aerobic exerciseGlycemic controlGlycosylated hemoglobinType 2 diabetes mellitus

Identifiers

PMID34510392
PMCPMC8479032
OpenAlexW3199993608

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

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.