Managing hyperglycaemia in type 1 diabetes typically relies on insulin, which acts slowly and may increase the risk of overcorrection. At EASD 2025, a causal-modelling analysis showed that short bouts of physical activity can rapidly and effectively reduce blood glucose levels.

Continuous glucose-monitoring data from 516 participants in the T1DEXI and T1DEXIP studies were used to compare 1,678 matched pairs of activity and non-activity periods (10–30 minutes each) within the same individuals. Matching accounted for insulin on board, glucose variability, and rate of glucose change before activity.

Physical activity was associated with a mean glucose reduction of 2.2 mmol/L compared with 0.3 mmol/L during non-activity, yielding a causal estimate of –1.9 mmol/L directly attributable to movement. The effect was most pronounced when glucose levels and rates of increase were high at the onset of activity.

This analysis provides robust evidence that even short, everyday bouts of physical activity can meaningfully reduce hyperglycaemia, supporting their inclusion as an adjunct to insulin therapy in daily diabetes management.