Clustering of risk behaviours and associations between risk behaviours and cardio-metabolic risk factors in adult individuals with type 1 diabetes.

AIMS: To assess clustering of risk behaviours and their health determinants. METHODS: Cross-sectional health behaviour and health data were collected from individuals with type 1 diabetes, in the FinnDiane Study. Clustering of risk behaviours was assessed and associations between behaviours and health variables were investigated. RESULTS: Data were available from 956 participants (40 % men, mean age 46 years). Altogether, 4.3 % individuals reported no risk behaviours, while 25.7 %, 37.4 %, 24.7 %, 6.8 %, and 1.0 % reported 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 risk behaviours, respectively. Reporting ≥4 risk behaviours occurred more frequently than expected by chance. Dietary non-adherence was most frequently reported (84.4 %), followed by low LTPA (54.4 %), poor sleep (41.9 %), high alcohol consumption (15.2 %), and smoking (11.2 %). Adjusted for confounders, relative to ≤1 risk behaviour, reporting ≥2 risk behaviours was associated with higher BMI, waist circumference, and diastolic blood pressure. Having ≥3 risk behaviours was associated with larger waist-hip ratio, and higher HbA1c and triglyceride concentration; ≥4 risk behaviours was associated with higher cholesterol concentration. Of the health behaviours, low LTPA had the highest number of deleterious health associations. CONCLUSIONS: Accumulation of risk behaviors increases negative health outcomes. Exhibiting ≥2 risk behaviours or low LTPA was associated with multiple adverse outcomes.

Symptoms of depression are associated with reduced leisure-time physical activity in adult individuals with type 1 diabetes.

AIMS: Here, we investigated the association between depressive symptoms and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) in type 1 diabetes. METHODS: Data from adult individuals with type 1 diabetes without evidence of diabetic kidney disease or macrovascular complications, participating in the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy Study, were included. Based on a questionnaire, weekly LTPA as metabolic equivalent of task hour was calculated. Activity levels (inactive, moderately active, active), weekly frequencies (< 1, 1-2, > 2), intensities (low, moderate, high), and single session durations (< 30, 31-60, > 60 min) were assessed. Depressive symptomatology was evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). We calculated a continuous BDI score and divided participants into those with (BDI score ≥ 16) and without (BDI score < 16) symptoms of depression. For sensitivity analyses, we additionally defined symptoms of depression with antidepressant agent purchases within a year from the study visit. RESULTS: Of the 1339 participants (41.7% men, median age 41 years), 150 (11.2%) reported symptoms of depression. After adjustments, both higher BDI scores and depressive symptomatology were associated with more inactive lifestyle, and lower frequency and intensity of the LTPA. The BDI score was additionally associated with shorter single session duration. For antidepressant purchases, lower odds were observed in those with higher intensity and longer single session duration of LTPA. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive mood is harmfully related to LTPA in type 1 diabetes. In order to improve the long-term health of individuals with type 1 diabetes, efforts to increase both mental well-being and physical activity should be taken.

Frequent physical activity is associated with reduced risk of severe diabetic retinopathy in type 1 diabetes.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate whether leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is associated with the development of severe diabetic retinopathy in individuals with type 1 diabetes. METHODS: Prospective observational analysis as part of the Finnish diabetic nephropathy (FinnDiane) Study with a mean follow-up time of 10.7 years was performed. A total of 1612 individuals with type 1 diabetes were recruited, and LTPA was assessed at baseline using a validated self-report questionnaire. Severe diabetic retinopathy was defined as the initiation of laser treatment due to severe nonproliferative, proliferative retinopathy or diabetic maculopathy (identified from the Care Register for Health Care). RESULTS: A total of 261 patients received laser treatment during the follow-up. Higher frequency of LTPA was associated with a lower incidence of severe diabetic retinopathy (p = 0.024), a finding that remained significant after adjustment for gender, duration, age at onset of diabetes, kidney function, BMI, triglycerides and systolic blood pressure. However, when HbA1c and smoking were added to the Cox regression model the association was no more significant. CONCLUSIONS: Frequent LTPA is associated with a lower incidence of severe diabetic retinopathy during the follow-up. The total amount or the other components of LTPA (intensity or duration of a single session) were not associated with severe diabetic retinopathy.

Physical Activity in the Prevention of Development and Progression of Kidney Disease in Type 1 Diabetes.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Physical activity is a fundamental part of lifestyle management in diabetes care. Although its benefits are very well recognized in the general population and in people with type 2 diabetes, much less is known about the effects of exercise in type 1 diabetes. In particular, exercise effects in relation to diabetic kidney disease (DKD) are understudied. Some uncertainties about physical activity recommendations stem from the fact that strenuous exercise may worsen albuminuria immediately after the activity. However, in middle-aged and older adults without diabetes, observational studies have suggested that physical activity is associated with a decreased risk of rapid kidney function deterioration. In this review, we focus on the role of physical activity in patients with DKD and type 1 diabetes. RECENT FINDINGS: Hereby, we present data that show that in individuals at risk of DKD or with established DKD, regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with reduced incidence and progression of DKD, as well as reduced risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. Therefore, regular moderate-to-vigorous exercise should become a central part of the management of individuals with type 1 diabetes, in the absence of contraindications and accompanied with all needed educational support for optimal diabetes management.

Physical Activity Reduces Risk of Premature Mortality in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes With and Without Kidney Disease.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to assess how baseline leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and its exercise components intensity, duration, and frequency are associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes 1) overall, 2) stratified by presence or absence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), and 3) stratified by sex. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The study design was prospective and observational and included 2,639 patients with type 1 diabetes from the ongoing nationwide multicenter Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy (FinnDiane) Study. Mean follow-up time was 11.4 ± 3.5 years. LTPA was assessed by using a validated self-report questionnaire. Three hundred ten patients (11.7%) had CKD defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate of ≤60 mL/min/1.73 m2. RESULTS: During follow-up, 270 deaths occurred. LTPA and all its components were associated with all-cause mortality, even after adjustment for the potential confounders sex, diabetic nephropathy, duration of diabetes, age at onset of diabetes, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, BMI, and HbA1c. Only exercise intensity was associated with cardiovascular mortality after adjustment for the confounders. Of the patients with CKD, 127 died during follow-up. The total amount of LTPA and exercise frequency were independently associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality when adjusted for covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise is associated with a lower risk of premature all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes. This study also demonstrates that physical activity is associated with a lower risk of mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes and CKD.

Frequent and intensive physical activity reduces risk of cardiovascular events in type 1 diabetes.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of premature death and disability among patients with type 1 diabetes. Diabetic nephropathy accounts for the increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality of these patients. We recently showed that the intensity of exercise predicts the incidence and progression of diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 1 diabetes. Little is known about the relationship between physical activity and CVD. Therefore, we studied how physical activity affects the risk of CVD events in patients with type 1 diabetes. METHODS: A 10 year follow-up study including 2180 type 1 diabetes patients from the nationwide multicentre Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy Study (FinnDiane). Leisure time physical activity (LTPA) was assessed by a previously validated self-report questionnaire. A CVD event was defined as a verified myocardial infarction, coronary procedure or stroke. Patients were analysed separately for the risk of developing a first ever CVD event and for the risk of a recurrent CVD event following a baseline event. RESULTS: A total of 206 patients had an incident CVD event during follow-up. A higher total LTPA and higher intensity, frequency and duration of activity were associated with a lower risk of incident CVD events. The observed association between exercise frequency and incident CVD remained significant when adjusted for classic risk factors. Exercise intensity also had a borderline effect on the recurrence-free time in patients with a major CVD event at baseline. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: This study suggests that exercise, particularly high frequency and high intensity exercise, may reduce the risk of CVD events in patients with type 1 diabetes.