Regular walking cuts diabetes risk
Long walks not only prevent excessive weight gain but also lower the risk of developing insulin resistance and diabetes in the middle aged individuals.
Individuals who walk three thousand steps per day and five days each week are less likely to develop diabetes and become obese, according to a new Australian study published in the British Medical Journal.
Following about 600 middle-aged adults for 5 years showed that higher step count was linked to lower body mass index (BMI) levels, less abdominal fat and reduced risk of being diagnosed with insulin resistance and subsequently diabetes.
Compared to those who managed to reach 3,000 steps a day (five days a week), individuals following a sedentary lifestyle would enjoy a threefold improvement in insulin sensitivity if they gradually increase their daily step count to 10,000 through the study period.
"These findings, confirming an independent beneficial role of higher daily step count on body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and insulin sensitivity, provide further support to promote higher physical activity levels among middle-aged adults," Terry Dwyer of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and his team concluded.
While walking 10,000 steps a day for 5 days per week is a better goal to achieve for preventing diabetes, scientists suggested that individuals would also benefit if they reach 3,000 steps per day rather than remaining completely sedentary.
Source: presstv.ir
