Diabetes Prevention: Walking Just As Good As Other Exercise in Preventing Diabetes
BOSTON — October, 1999 — A study of more than 70,000 middle aged women by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health shows that both moderately intense activities such as walking and vigorous activities such as running can substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The researchers, publishing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that the amount of energy expended is more important than the type of exercise.
As the walking pace increased, the diabetes risk decreased, whether the women were lean or overweight, the researchers found. Women who walked at a brisk pace (three miles per hour or greater) for one hour a day had nearly half the risk of developing diabetes compared to the least active women. That one hour of walking can be spread into smaller chunks throughout the day, and can include such mundane tasks as walking to the bus stop rather than driving to work, or taking stairs rather than the elevator.
The study shows that it takes less time each day for those who enjoy more vigorous physical activity to decrease their risk of diabetes. The researchers theorize that physical activity seems to protect against diabetes by helping the body use sugar more effectively. While this study focuses only on women, it is expected that the results apply equally to men.
A study published earlier this year in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that fitness helps prevent diabetes. In this study, 8,633 men were all given a special exercise test to measure their level of fitness. None had diabetes at the beginning of the study. Based on their level of fitness, they were divided into one of three categories (low, moderate or high fitness level). Over the next six years, 149 of the men developed diabetes and another 593 developed high blood sugar levels just below the criteria used to diagnose diabetes.
When the study results were examined closely, it was discovered that the "low" fitness group had nearly four times the risk of having developed diabetes as those in the high fitness group irrespective of how much they weighed, which was interesting given the fact that people are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they are overweight.
The message from these two studies is clear, says Cathy Mullooly, M.S., C.D.E., director of exercise physiology at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. "Exercise can help people at risk of developing diabetes avoid the condition or delay it. And exercise doesn't have to be incredibly strenuous for people to enjoy the health benefits."
