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Association of leisure time physical activity and abdominal obesity with fasting serum insulin and 2‐h postchallenge plasma glucose levels
Author(s) -
Borodulin K.,
Tuomilehto J.,
Peltonen M.,
Lakka T. A.,
Sundvall J.,
Jousilahti P.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
diabetic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.474
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1464-5491
pISSN - 0742-3071
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2006.01897.x
Subject(s) - medicine , abdominal obesity , endocrinology , impaired glucose tolerance , type 2 diabetes , obesity , insulin , diabetes mellitus , impaired fasting glucose , waist , waist–hip ratio , glucose tolerance test , insulin resistance
Aims We investigated the joint associations of leisure time physical activity and abdominal obesity with fasting insulin and 2‐h glucose levels and with the risk of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and Type 2 diabetes (Type 2 D M ). Methods A cross‐sectional population‐based random sample of 1812 Finnish adults 45–74 years of age without a history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Relative energy expenditure during the previous 12 months (METh/week), assessed by a questionnaire, was used as a measure of leisure time physical activity. Waist–hip ratio (WHR) was used as a measure of abdominal obesity. IGT and Type 2 D M were assessed by a 2‐h oral glucose tolerance test and were defined according to the World Health Organization guidelines. Results While 2‐h glucose and fasting insulin levels increased with increasing WHR ( P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively), both of them decreased with increasing physical activity ( P = 0.015 and P < 0.001, respectively). The highest 2‐h glucose and fasting insulin levels were found among individuals who had most abdominal obesity and were least physically active. Physically inactive individuals had a higher prevalence of IGT and Type 2 D M in all WHR tertiles than physically active persons. Conclusions Higher levels of leisure time physical activity are associated with lower 2‐h glucose and fasting insulin levels and a reduced risk of having IGT and Type 2 D M , independent of the level of abdominal obesity.