The Impact of Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention on Inflammatory Cytokines in Older Adults Living With Type 2 Diabetes: A Feasibility Study

Objective: This study investigates the effects of a behavioral lifestyle intervention on inflammatory cytokines and frailty in older adults (≥ 65 years) with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Method: We conducted a single-arm, 6-month intervention supplemented with diet and activity self-monitoring technology. We assessed frailty using Fried criteria and quantified inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating-factor [GM-CSF], interferon [IFN-γ], tumor necrosis factor [TNF-α]) using a multiplex assay. We used paired t-tests with significance at P <.05. We calculated the Spearman correlation and evaluated the relationship between frailty, BMI, and inflammatory cytokines. Results: Eighteen participants completed the study (mean ± SD: 71.5 ± 5.3 years; BMI: 34 ± 6 kg/m²). At baseline, we had 4 frail, 13 pre-frail, and 1 non-frail participant. At 6 months, we observed the therapeutic effects of the intervention on frailty score, BMI, IL-2, IFN-y, and GM-CSF. Discussion: The study highlights the importance of behavioral lifestyle intervention in improving inflammatory cytokines and frailty in older adults.