The noninvasive treatment, known as magnetic mitohormesis, activates the same metabolic pathways that exercise would normally trigger. This mimics endurance exercise and may improve glucose control, without the physical strains of exercise.

“We (doctors) often tell patients with diabetes to exercise because it helps control blood sugar, but we found that most people (over eight out of 10 in our study) do not exercise regularly. Many of our patients cannot do so easily due to age, health problems, or other barriers. This treatment could give similar benefits to exercise without having to work out physically,” said Dr. Tan Hong Chang, Senior Consultant, Department of Endocrinology, Singapore General Hospital, and the study’s senior author.

The exploratory study involving 40 adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes was conducted at SGH from June 2023 to January 2024. During each visit, each patient’s leg is placed into a special chamber device that delivers a gentle magnetic field to stimulate the leg muscles for 10 minutes. This treatment continued weekly over 12 weeks, and none of the participants experienced any side effects.