The following is a summary of “Effect of lifestyle interventions on depressive symptom severity in individuals with type-2 diabetes: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials” published in the October 2023 issue of Psychosomatic Research by Koning, et al.

Depression is a disorder that often co-occurs with diabetes mellitus type 2, also known as T2DM. T2DM is a severe metabolic illness. The pathophysiology of both disorders may be explained by lifestyle variables; however, it is yet unknown how lifestyle therapies should be used to treat either ailment. This research aims to conduct a comprehensive literature analysis on randomized controlled trials examining the efficacy of lifestyle treatments on depression ratings in people who have type 2 diabetes.

In the time leading up to October 2022, a thorough search was carried out in digital databases. The impact of lifestyle therapies on depression ratings was investigated using a random-effects model, and the role of age and illness start was evaluated using meta-regression analysis. Six different trials satisfied the requirements to be considered for inclusion. In comparison to the control group, those receiving lifestyle treatments showed a statistically significant decrease in their levels of depression (standardized mean difference = -0.49; 95% CI = -0.89 to -0.08; p = 0.0269). The effectiveness of the interventions rose with the age of the subjects, although there was no significant link identified between age and the number of years since the disease’s inception. 

When compared to participants who got conventional treatment or no intervention at all, individuals who took part in the study’s control group and received a lifestyle intervention of a lesser intensity showed more improvement in their depression levels. The trials’ designs, the instruments used to evaluate outcomes, and the amounts of accessible data on the use of antidepressants were all different from one study to the next, which may have introduced bias into the findings. The intensity of depression symptoms was successfully reduced in people who had type 2 diabetes and participated in lifestyle treatments.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022399923003021