Study Finds Walking Faster Reduces Diabetes Risk

Walking faster reduces the risk of diabetes, according to a new study.

New research suggests that walking at a speed of four or more km an hour significantly lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes.

The findings, from the Semnan University of Medical Sciences in Iran, suggest that every 1 km (3280.84 feet) increase in speed is associated with a nine percent reduction in risk of diabetes.

When compared with strolling at less than 3 km (9842.52 feet) /hour, an average walking speed of 3-5 km/hour caused a 15 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of the time spent walking.

Similarly, fairly brisk walking at a speed of 5–6 km/hour was associated with a 24 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared with strolling.

Finally, striding at a speed above 6 km (19685.04 feet) /hour was associated with a reduced risk of around 39 percent.

Lead author Dr. Ahmad Jayedi said: “The global number of adults with type 2 diabetes is currently 537 million, but is expected to reach 783 million by 2045, so a simple and inexpensive physical activity that is also associated with several other social, mental, and physical health benefits, might be an easy way of helping to stave off the disease.”

To get their results the team analyzed 10 eligible studies monitoring periods ranging from three to 11 years for a total of 508,121 adults from the USA, Japan, and the UK.

They believe that there is a chance these results, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, show that fast walkers are less likely to have diabetes due to them being more physically active and having better health overall.

Dr. Ahmad added: “Walking speed is an important indicator of overall health and a key indicator of functional capacity; faster walking speed is associated with better cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength, both of which are linked to diabetes risk; and brisk walking is good for weight loss, which helps to improve insulin sensitivity.

“The present meta-analysis of cohort studies suggests that fairly brisk and brisk/striding walking, independent of the total volume of physical activity or time spent walking per day, may be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in adults.

“While current strategies to increase total walking time are beneficial, it may also be reasonable to encourage people to walk at faster speeds to further increase the health benefits of walking.”

Produced in association with SWNS Talker