PURPOSE: Type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing in prevalence worldwide and, along with metabolic syndrome, serves as a major precursor to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Physical inactivity is recognized as a significant contributing factor to both conditions. Therefore, an empirical review of the effectiveness of exercise interventions is essential. This study aimed to analyze the impact of aerobic physical activity and regular strength training on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome risk factors, with the goal of providing evidence to guide the development of targeted exercise prescriptions and lifestyle improvement strategies tailored to the Korean adult population.METHODS: Using raw data from the 2023 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), we analyzed responses from 4,881 adults aged 19 years and older. Participants were categorized into four groups according to their engagement in aerobic physical activity and strength training. Key metabolic syndrome markers such as blood pressure, fasting glucose, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), along with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, were examined. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and multivariate logistic regression. All analyses were adjusted for potential confounding variables, including age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, and alcohol consumption.RESULTS: After adjusting for confounding factors, individuals who participated in both aerobic physical activity and regular strength training had a 56% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those who participated in neither activity (odds ratio OR: 0.44, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.28–0.70).CONCLUSIONS: Combining aerobic activity with strength training is more effective than either modality alone in reducing diabetes prevalence and improving metabolic syndrome risk factors. These findings underscore the need to develop integrated exercise guidelines and practical lifestyle modification programs, rather than broad public health policies, to optimize metabolic health and provide actionable recommendations for clinical and community settings.
Kim et al. (Sat,) studied this question.