Structured exercise built strength and lowered HbA1c in older adults with diabetes

The edition in brief

A meta-analysis of 11 randomised trials (about 740 participants, mean age 65 or over) with type 2 diabetes found structured exercise improved muscle strength (g 0.67) and physical performance (g 0.74), and lowered HbA1c by 0.32 percentage points, while lean mass barely changed; serious exercise-related harms were not reported. A Japanese cohort of 47,293 independent older adults followed for nine years found fewer teeth were associated with more dementia (HR 1.27 with no teeth versus 20 or more); tooth loss accounted for an estimated 7.2% of cases, third behind depressive symptoms and social isolation, and first in men. Among 6,258 community-dwelling older Chinese adults, combined weak grip and poor chair-stand performance were associated with nine-fold odds of motoric cognitive risk syndrome, more than either alone. A meta-analysis of 21 trials of Tai Chi, Baduanjin and similar exercise in frail or pre-frail older adults found improvements in frailty scores, timed up-and-go, balance and cognitive screening scores, but not gait speed, with substantial heterogeneity. The pearl is the five-times sit-to-stand test as a one-minute clinic check.