Half-an-hour of exercise a day cuts down diabetes risk by 30 to 40 per cent!

If you wish to avoid turning diabetic, better start exercising for just half-an-hour a day, a Harvard University research has found while advising yoga and weight lifting.

By: Editorial Team | | Updated: August 27, 2014 3:10 pm

Tags: In the news Pancreatitis Weight lifting

If you wish to avoid turning diabetic, better start exercising for just half-an-hour a day, a Harvard University research has found while advising yoga and weight lifting.

According to the research, the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes was cut by between 30 and 40 per cent with just three-and-a-half hours of exercise a week, Daily Mail reported Wednesday.

It was also found that just an hour’s workout every week could cut the risk by 13 percent.

The study, which followed 100,000 women, also showed muscle-strengthening exercises such as yoga and weight lifting fend off the condition.

Scientists showed that those doing at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week – and at least an hour of muscle-strengthening – had the best results. (Read: Expert diet and exercise tips to manage diabetes)

Published by the journal PLOS Medicine, the study was carried out by scientists from Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Southern Denmark.

Researchers studied 99,316 middle-aged and older women, who did not have diabetes at the beginning of the study, for eight years. During the period, 3,491 women developed Type 2 diabetes.

They studied the effects of weekly time spent on resistance exercise, lower intensity muscular conditioning exercises and aerobic moderate and vigorous physical activity.

‘Our study suggests that engagement in muscle-strengthening and conditioning activities (resistance exercise, yoga, stretching, toning) is associated with a lower risk of (Type 2 diabetes),’ the researchers said. (Read: Expert tips to deal with type 2 diabetes)

‘Despite limitations to which this research can be applied to women in general, it underlines the message that leading an active healthy lifestyle can help to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes,’ said Richard Elliott, research communications officer at Diabetes, UK.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a metabolic disease which is characterised by high blood sugar levels. It can be caused either due to the lack of insulin (type 1 diabetes) or because the body’s cells fail to respond to the insulin produced (type 2 diabetes). There’s another form of diabetes that afflicts pregnant women called gestational diabetes. (Read: Top 10 diabetes myths busted)

Causes

Our digestive system breaks down whatever food we eat into glucose. This glucose is absorbed by the blood with the help of a hormone called insulin. Diabetes occurs when the body is not able to produce insulin or is not able to use it effectively. Here are some of the reasons why this happens.

1. Genes

Genes can be responsible for causing both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Having certain combination of genes may increase or decrease the risk of diabetes. If your parents were diabetics, you should be extra careful about your lifestyle.

2. Autoimmune destruction of beta cells

Sometimes, our own immune system may recognise the beta cells that produce insulin as antigens, and create antibodies to destroy them. Often, diabetes is diagnosed after most of the cells are destroyed and the patient then needs a daily dose of insulin to survive.

3. Lack of physical activity, obesity

Lack of exercise and obesity can be major causes of Type 2 diabetes. An imbalance between calories consumed and calories burned renders our body incapable of absorbing insulin properly. Just 30 minutes of physical activity reduces the chances of you having diabetes by 30 per cent. So, make sure you include activities like walking and cycling in your daily timetable.

4. Ageing

As a person ages, several parts of his/her body stop functioning at their optimum best. This can lead to diabetes, along with several other ailments.(Read: 10 celebrities living with diabetes)

5. Certain drugs

Certain medicines like nicotinic acid, psychiatric drugs, diuretics, etc. can destroy the beta cells that produce insulin or disrupt insulin absorption.

6. Pancreatic disease or injury

Since the beta cells are present in the pancreas – any injury or diseases like cancer, pancreatitis, etc. can stop beta cells from functioning and ultimately lead to diabetes. (Read: Diabetes – Symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment and complications)

Withinputs from: IANS

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Published: January 16, 2014 2:05 pm | Updated:August 27, 2014 3:10 pm

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