Association between type 2 diabetes and non-exercise estimated cardiorespiratory fitness among adults: evidences from a middle-income country.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to assess the association between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) estimated through a non-exercise model in a large representative group of Brazilian adults. STUDY DESIGN The study design of this study is a cross-sectional population-based study. METHODS The presence of T2D was assessed through self-report in 42,631 individuals aged 20-59 years. The CRF was predicted from a non-exercise equation containing the following data: sex, age, body mass index, and physical activity level. The corresponding metabolic equivalent (MET) value was used to classify participants into the following four groups based on the cutpoints: <6, 6-9, 10-11, and ≥12 METs. Crude and multivariable-adjusted logistic regressions were carried out to determine the association between CRF and the presence of diabetes. RESULTS Significant linear trends were observed in diabetes across different categories of CRF in men. In women, however, linear trends were not observed in T2D across '10-11' and '≥12' categories. A 1-MET increase in estimated CRF was associated with 29% lower odds of diabetes in men and 14% in women after adjusting all the potential confounders (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The presence of T2D was inversely associated with every CRF level in men and with 6-9 METs when comparing with <6 METs in women, through a non-exercise model in Brazilian adults. This finding suggests that a practical, viable, and low-cost measurement of CRF could be applied in lower income countries to assess the relationship between CRF and T2D. However, new non-exercise models are needed to better detect T2D in women.