Prescribing personalised exercise and nutrition plans will help patients with type 2 diabetes

A new position paper from the European Association of Preventative Cardiology recommends that patients with type 2 diabetes should be routinely prescribed physical activity to control blood sugar and improve heart health.  

Dr Hareld Kemps, cardiologist and lead author said, “Sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets are the most important drivers of the increasing number of patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks.  Diabetes doubles the risk of mortality but the fitter patients become, the more that risk declines.  Unfortunately, the majority of patients do not engage in exercise programmes.” 

The paper published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology provides practical recommendations for doctors on how to motivate patients to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives.  Dr Kemps went on to explain that “Just advising patients to exercise is not enough and that doctors should give patients personalised plans.  It’s difficult to lose weight with exercise only and if that is the main target patients may become demoralised and stop exercising, weight loss is important but it needs to be part of a multidisciplinary intervention that includes nutrition.”