Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2025

DOI

10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2025.109203

Publication Title

Journal of Diabetes and its Complications

Volume

39

Issue

12

Pages

109203 (1-14)

Abstract

Purpose

This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to evaluate the effects of aerobic exercise on cardiometabolic health-related indices in patients with type 2 diabetes and concurrent overweight/obesity (diabesity).

Methods

PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases were searched from inception to October 2024. The search strategy included the following keywords: diabetes, aerobic exercise, and endurance training. RCTs comparing aerobic exercise training ≥2 weeks in duration to standard treatment were considered eligible. Participants were adults with diabesity.

Results

A total of 1391 middle-aged/older adult patients (55 % females) were included in 34 RCTs. Body mass index [standardized mean differences (SMD) -0.18 kg/m², 95 % confidence intervals (CI) -0.36 to -0.01]. waist circumference (SMD -0.23 cm, 95 % CI -0.44 to -0.03), body fat (SMD -0.30 %, 95 % CI -0.59 to -0.01), fasting blood glucose (SMD -0.49 mmol/L, 95 % CI -0.72 to -0.27), glycated hemoglobin (SMD -0.79 %, 95 % CI -1.17 to -0.41), fasting insulin (SMD -0.44 mIU/L, 95 % CI -0.72 to -0.15), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (SMD -0.72, 95 % CI -1.09 to -0.35), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (SMD 0.32 mg/dL, 95 % CI 0.01 to 0.63), triglycerides (SMD -0.33 mg/dL, 95 % CI -0.63 to -0.04), and total cholesterol (SMD -0.28 mg/dL, 95 % CI -0.47 to -0.10) improved compared with standard treatment.

Conclusions

These results underscore the beneficial role of aerobic exercise as a non-pharmacological intervention in managing and treating patients with diabesity when compared to standard treatment, despite the presence of considerable uncertainty in several outcomes.

Rights

© 2025 The Authors.

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License.

Data Availability

Article states: "The data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request."

Original Publication Citation

Al-Mhanna, S. B., Franklin, B. A., Jakicic, J. M., Stamatakis, E., Pescatello, L. S., Riebe, D., Thompson, W. R., Skinner, J. S., Colberg, S. R., Ehrman, J. K., Metsios, G. S., Omar, N., Alkhamees, N. H., Sheeha, B. B., Alghannam, A. F., & Batrakoulis, A. (2025). Impact of aerobic exercise on cardiometabolic health in patients with diabesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Diabetes and its Complications, 39(12), 1-14, Article 109203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2025.109203

ORCID

0000-0001-7574-2533 (Colberg)

Additional Files
1-s2.0-S1056872725002569-mmc1.pdf (3066 kB)
Appendix A. Supplementary Data
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