Do You Have to Exercise Every Day? ... Unexpected Results After Exercising Only on Weekends

Kyung Hee Medical Center analyzes 2.43 million Koreans
"Total Amount of Exercise Matters More Than Frequency"

Marathon participants are running vigorously. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

A study has found that exercising in concentrated sessions on weekends can be as effective as daily exercise in improving health, such as reducing the prevalence of diabetes.

On the 14th, Professor Yeon Dong-geon’s research team at Kyung Hee Medical Center's Digital Health Center analyzed the association between diabetes and physical activity in 2,428,448 adults using data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Community Health Survey (2009?2022). The results showed that regardless of exercise frequency, maintaining an adequate amount of exercise can reduce the prevalence of diabetes.

When exercising at the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended level of '75?150 minutes of moderate-intensity or at least 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week,' the risk of developing diabetes was about 16% lower compared to those who did not engage in any physical activity. However, increasing the amount of exercise beyond this did not significantly enhance the reduction effect on diabetes prevalence.

It was interpreted that appropriately combining moderate- and high-intensity exercise within the WHO recommended range is most strongly associated with a decrease in diabetes prevalence.

There was no significant difference in the reduction effect on diabetes prevalence between groups that concentrated exercise on weekends and those that exercised regularly on weekdays. Professor Yeon explained to Yonhap News, "If the total physical activity reaches the WHO recommended amount, whether exercise is concentrated or done regularly, the prevalence of diabetes decreases similarly," adding, "As long as the total amount of exercise is sufficient, the frequency of exercise itself does not have a major impact on diabetes prevalence."

He continued, "This result aligns with recent overseas studies and suggests that busy modern people can enjoy health benefits even if they exercise intensively on weekends," and said, "This study, conducted on a large population, confirms the importance of meeting an appropriate level of exercise rather than the simple perception that 'the more, the better.'"

The study results were published in the Journal of the Korean Medical Science (JKMS), an international academic journal published by the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.