Physical activity is associated with improved glycemic control but not with IL-6–glycemic interactions in type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study - Summary - MDSpire

Physical activity is associated with improved glycemic control but not with IL-6–glycemic interactions in type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

  • By

  • Marwan Ismail

  • Mutaz Ibrahim Hassan

  • Amged Gaffer Mostafa

  • Ashgan A. Ahmed

  • Sara Mohammed Ali

  • Ellen Safadi

  • Ramprasad Muthukrishnan

  • Praveen Kumar Kandakurti

  • Asim Ahmed Elnour

  • Husham O. Elzein

  • Elryah I. Ali

  • Velilyaeva Alie Sabrievna

  • Ayman H. Alfeel

  • June 5, 2026

  • 0 min

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Objective:

To examine the associations of physical activity and circulating IL-6 with glycemic and metabolic markers in individuals with T2DM, and to test for interaction effects.

Key Findings:
  • Circulating IL-6 levels did not differ significantly between active and sedentary participants.
  • Physical activity was associated with significantly lower HbA1c, fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, and fructosamine levels.
  • IL-6 showed inverse correlations with glycemic markers in active individuals but not in sedentary participants.
  • In multivariable models, IL-6 was not independently associated with glycemic outcomes.
  • No significant IL-6 × activity interaction effects were observed.
Interpretation:

Physical activity is associated with improved glycemic control in T2DM, while circulating IL-6 is not independently associated with metabolic outcomes.

Limitations:
  • Findings are observational and hypothesis-generating.
  • Differences in unadjusted correlations should be interpreted cautiously.
  • Small subgroup sizes limit inference.
Conclusion:

These findings highlight the importance of accounting for confounding and interaction testing when evaluating cytokine–metabolic relationships.

Original Source(s)

Physical activity is associated with improved glycemic control but not with IL-6–glycemic interactions in type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

  • by Marwan Ismail, Mutaz Ibrahim Hassan, Amged Gaffer Mostafa, Ashgan A. Ahmed, Sara Mohammed Ali, Ellen Safadi, Ramprasad Muthukrishnan, Praveen Kumar Kandakurti, Asim Ahmed Elnour, Husham O. Elzein, Elryah I. Ali, Velilyaeva Alie Sabrievna, Ayman H. Alfeel

  • June 5, 2026

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