Even Walking Reduces Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

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Even Walking Reduces Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

Previous epidemiologic studies have suggested that regular physical activity may reduce risk for type 2 diabetes. Investigators from Harvard University followed 70,102 healthy female nurses from the Nurses' Health Study to analyze the correlation between physical activity and the development of type 2 diabetes.

During about eight years of follow-up, 1419 cases of type 2 diabetes were documented. After multivariate adjustment for age; alcohol use; history of hypertension; cholesterol level; smoking; and other potential confounders, greater physical activity remained independently correlated with reduced risk for developing diabetes. Even after adjustment for body-mass index, physical activity still correlated with a substantially lower risk for developing diabetes (relative risk, 0.74 for the quintile of women who were most vigorously physically active). Among women who did not perform regular vigorous physical activity, those who frequently walked at a "brisk" pace had a lower risk for diabetes than those who walked at a "normal" or "easy" pace (RR, 0.41 vs. 0.72 and 1.0). The relative-risk reduction associated with frequent brisk walking was similar to that obtained with vigorous physical exercise, assuming that equivalent amounts of energy were expended.

Comment: These findings support recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health that currently recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week.

— KA Eagle

Published in Journal Watch Cardiology January 1, 2000

Citation(s):

Hu FB et al. Walking compared with vigorous physical activity and risk of type 2 diabetes in women: A prospective study. JAMA 1999 Oct 20 282 1433-1439.

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