Recreational training improves cardiovascular adaptations, metabolic profile and mental health of elderly women with type-2 diabetes mellitus

Developing a predictive equation of cardiovascular age to evaluate cardiovascular health in Chinese community-dwelling women

Cardiovascular health plays a dominant role in shaping the overall health of individuals. Our aim was to develop a predictive equation of cardiovascular age (CVA) and determine its validity. In this study, we developed an equation of CVA based on 101 healthy women by using multiple linear regression analysis. Based on cross-sectional validity tests, we discovered that the mean CVA is remarkably younger than the mean chronological age in the active group, while there was no statistical age difference in the non-active group. We conclude that CVA is a valid assessment to evaluate cardiovascular health in Chinese community-dwelling women. Healthcare practitioners should consider CVA as a motivational tool for increasing physical activity or modifying diet to improve cardiovascular health in community-dwelling women.

Predictors of Satisfaction With Life and Health Status of Older People in Brunei: A Gender Comparative Study

Objective: To investigate predictors of life satisfaction and healthy aging with focus on gender differences among older people in Brunei Darussalam.

Methods: A cross-sectional study on older people recruited by proportionate sampling. Multiple linear regression stratified by gender was applied.

Results: 45.6% of life satisfaction of older women were strongly associated with self-perceived health, social relationship, and education level. For older men, 26.3% of the variance of life satisfaction was predicted by physical functioning or disability, and social relationship. For older women, 38.9% of the variance of health status can be explained with satisfaction with life, and difficulty to do daily tasks. For older men, 33.1% of the variance of health status can be accounted by income, number of children, presence of chronic illness, and diabetes.

Conclusion: This paper discusses the unique gender differences of older people from a global perspective. Policymakers and stakeholders need to account for local and contextual differences before adopting international guideline. Particularly, on the maintenance or further promotion social interactions, active engaging elderly in health maintenance, and physical and mental functioning of the older population.

Salivary Biomarkers Associated with Psychological Alterations in Patients with Diabetes: A Systematic Review

The care of individuals with diabetes needs a holistic perspective, taking into account both the physical disease and the mental health problems that may be associated. Different studies show a higher prevalence of depression or anxiety issues in diabetes patients than in the general population, which is why diabetes can be considered one of the chronic diseases in which psychological care is crucial to maintain quality of life. The objective of this review is to examine the published articles that relate the bidirectional associations between objective and subjective measures of anxiety, depressive symptomatology, stress, sleep quality, and salivary biomarkers in patients with diabetes. For this, a search was carried out in the electronic databases PubMed, Cochrane, and SCOPUS using the keywords "diabetes", "saliva", "sleep", "anxiety", "depression", and "stress" for works published up until May 2022 and limited to the English and Spanish languages. The sample comprised 14 articles, 5 of which analysed the associations between depressive symptomatology and salivary biomarkers in people with diabetes. Among the salivary biomarkers most frequently used to evaluate psychological alterations in persons with diabetes are cortisol and melatonin. Thus, significant changes in the levels of these biomarkers were observed in most studies. Four out of five studies reported a statistically significant relationship between increased salivary cortisol in the evening/midnight or the cortisol awakening response and depressive symptoms. In contrast, lower cortisol levels upon waking in the morning were observed when there was no depression or anxiety. Regarding the association between salivary cortisol values and sleep quality in patients with diabetes, lower morning cortisol values related to prolonged nighttime sleep were common in the analysed studies. Low melatonin concentrations showed a negative correlation with sleep quality. As it is an easy-to-apply and non-invasive method, the measurement of salivary biomarkers can be very useful for predicting psychological alterations in patients with diabetes. Further scientific studies are required to determine the sensitivity of these biological substances acting as biomarkers for detecting sleep disorders and psychological alterations.

The Effect of Exercise Interventions to Improve Psychosocial Aspects and Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients have a raised risk of developing depression compared with non-diabetic people.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this meta-analysis was to investigate the impacts of exercise training interventions to improve psychosocial aspects and glycemic control in T2DM patients.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, CINAHL, Medline, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases and reference lists of included studies were searched.

STUDY SELECTION

The selection criteria were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using an exercise intervention with or without dietary advice on psychological aspects and glycemic control in T2DM patients, up to January 2021. Meta-analyses were performed using the random-effects model. The analysis included 17 RCTs with 2,127 participants.

RESULTS

In the pooled analysis, improvements were seen in depression, standard mean difference (SMD) -0.65 (95% confidence interval (CI) -1.03 to -0.28, p = 0.0006), mental health SMD: 0.53 (95% CI 0.31 to 0.76, p < 0.00001), and HbA1c, weighted mean difference (WMD) -0.51% (95% CI -0.97 to -0.04, p = 0.03). There were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups for bodily pain, social functioning, and fasting glucose (all p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our systematic review and meta-analysis displayed that exercise training interventions decreased depression and HbA1c and increased mental health in individuals with T2DM. Further longer-term and high-quality clinical trials are required to additional assess and confirm the findings presented here.