The Importance of Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
- Steven N. Blair, PED and
- Timothy S. Church, MD, MPH, PhD
Abstract
In Brief
Physical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and are associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease and mortality in people with type 2 diabetes. Clinicians are encouraged to promote adoption of the consensus public health recommendation for physical activity for their sedentary and unfit patients and to stress that the benefit is improved health—not necessarily weight loss. Recent advances in behavioral intervention approaches can make clinicians more successful in helping their sedentary patients become and stay more physically active.
Footnotes
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Steven N. Blair, PED, is President and Chief Operating Officer, and Timothy S. Church, MD, MPH, PhD, is Vice President, Medical and Laboratory Research, at The Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas.
- American Diabetes Association
