A new study from Singapore has found a surprising way to help people with type 2 diabetes improve their health—without breaking a sweat.
Researchers from Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) discovered that using magnetic fields to gently stimulate leg muscles may mimic the effects of exercise.
This noninvasive treatment, called magnetic mitohormesis, could be especially helpful for people with diabetes who have too much belly fat and find it hard to exercise regularly.
Doctors have long told people with type 2 diabetes to stay active. Regular physical activity helps the body control blood sugar. But in reality, many people don’t exercise enough. In fact, more than 80% of participants in this study said they don’t exercise regularly. Age, health problems, and other life issues often make it hard to follow through.
This new treatment could offer a way around those barriers. Instead of running or lifting weights, patients sit while their leg is placed in a machine that gives off a gentle magnetic pulse. Each session lasts just 10 minutes. The treatment is safe and painless, and none of the 40 adults who took part in the trial had any side effects.
The study ran from June 2023 to January 2024. It included people with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. Over 12 weeks, each person received the magnetic stimulation once a week. While not everyone saw major changes, researchers found something interesting.
People with central obesity—meaning those who carry more fat around their belly—showed clear improvements in their blood sugar levels.
In that group, nearly 90% had better blood glucose control, and their HbA1c levels dropped from 7.5% to 7.1%. HbA1c is a key measure that shows how well blood sugar has been controlled over several months. A lower HbA1c means better diabetes management.
Why did this work better for people with belly fat? Researchers believe their muscles might be less healthy at the cellular level. The magnetic pulses seem to “exercise” the muscles at a microscopic level, improving how the cells work. When muscles are “out of shape,” there’s more room to see improvement from the treatment.
The researchers say this could be a helpful tool for personalized diabetes care. It’s especially promising for people who can’t stick to traditional exercise plans due to health issues or age.
However, the study was small and exploratory, and the authors agree that more research is needed. Larger clinical trials will help confirm whether this approach works in the long term and which patients benefit most.
Professor Alfredo Franco-Obregón from NUS, one of the study’s lead scientists, said that the magnetic pulse method has shown promise in earlier lab studies, too. It may even help reduce inflammation and improve other aspects of health. Unlike medications or surgery, this treatment does not involve drugs, gene editing, or invasive procedures.
The next step for SGH and NUS will be to figure out the best schedule for this treatment and to learn more about which patients are most likely to benefit. If successful, this innovation could change how diabetes is managed—especially for those who struggle with exercise.
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The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
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