Effects of exercise on quality of life of type 2 diabetes patients

Abstract

Diabetes is one of the most important chronic diseases that impact human health and the total number of diabetes patients worldwide may rise to about 370 million in 2030 (170 million in 2000). Type 2 diabetes patients accounts for 90% of all diabetes worldwide. Previous literature reported that type 2 diabetes patients have lower quality of life (QoL) than those healthy persons and that a sedentary lifestyle is a modifiable risk factor for type 2 diabetes and an independent predictor of poor quality of life. When the physical activity is planned, structured, and repetitive bodily movement performed to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness, it is denominated physical exercise. The physical exercise has been effective by altering the body composition, glycaemic control, blood pressure, insulin resistance and, mental and physical components of QoL. In this chapter we also focus our attention on mental disorders. Depression and anxiety are the most common in those patients, which can lead to unfavorable influences on metabolic control and micro- and macro-vascular complications compared to those with diabetes alone.