- Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity benefits people with a genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes, says a new study.
- People who were most active in the study lowered their risk of type 2 diabetes by 74% compared with the least active participants over a follow-up period of 6.8 years.
- The study also found that any amount of physical activity can lower type 2 diabetes risk: the more activity, the better.
It may come as no surprise that, according to existing research, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity promotes good health, in general.
Research has also shown it can help prevent chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, in many people. What, however, does it offer people who have a familial predisposition toward type 2 diabetes?
A new study investigates this question and finds that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is linked to a reduction in type 2 diabetes risk, and that the association is seen regardless of genetic predisposition for this condition. The effect is dose-dependent, with more activity linked to a greater protective effect.
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for more than an hour a day was associated with a 74% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to the least-active people studied.
The findings are based on an analysis of data from 59,325 participants, 40 to 69 years of age, whose data feature the UK Biobank.
Baseline data were collected between 2006 and 2010, and from 2013 to 2015 a subset of individuals was monitored wearing wrist accelerometers for 7 consecutive days. Participants were followed for an average of 6.8 years.
The study is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
“Diabetes is a serious, common, and costly disease. Prevention is the key. I think it is important to reinforce the importance of physical activity in type 2 diabetes prevention, especially among those with a family history,” said the study’s senior investigator, Dr. Melody Ding, to Medical News Today.
Dr. Ding is an…
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