LONDON: People who carry out an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise every day can reduce their risk of getting type 2 diabetes by 40 per cent, a new study has claimed.
The study also showed that brisk walking or cycling for 150 minutes a week can reduce a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 26 per cent.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) and Cambridge University in the UK found that any amount of physical activity can reduce the risk of developing the disease.
The UK Department of Health recommends 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a week, which includes brisk walking, gentle cycling or sports such as doubles tennis.
According to the Health Survey for England (2012), as many as a third of adults are not meeting this target.
The study demonstrated that while any amount of physical activity is good for you, the benefits of exercise are greater for people who exceed this recommended level.
The study analysed data from 23 studies carried out in the US, Asia, Australia and Europe.
By combining observations from these studies, the researchers were able to separate out the effect of leisure time physical activity from other behavioural factors, and obtain better estimates of the effects of different physical activity levels.
Previous studies have often included changes to both diet and physical activity, making it difficult to isolate the impact of physical activity alone.
“Our results suggest a major potential for physical activity to slow down or reverse the global increase in type 2 diabetes and should prove useful for health impact modelling, which frequently forms part of the evidence base for policy decisions,” said Andrea Smith from UCL.
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is growing rapidly due to rising obesity levels and is estimated to reach nearly 600 million cases worldwide by 2035.
The study was published in the journal Diabetologia. (AGENCIES)
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