Physical inactivity is a well-known, modifiable risk factor for type 2 diabetes, which accounts for around 90% to 95% of all diabetes cases. In type 2 diabetes, risk is influenced by several factors, including overweight, older age, prediabetes, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week. However, it is less clear how the link between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and type 2 diabetes differs by age, sex, and metabolic status, and whether the benefit looks the same when measured as a relative risk or as an absolute risk difference.

A recent observational study published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism analysed accelerometer data from almost 88,000 UK Biobank participants. It found that lower MVPA volume was associated with almost twice the risk of type 2 diabetes compared with higher MVPA volume, with the relative association weakening with age while absolute risk differences grew larger.