Daily Walking Reduces the Risk of Diabetes

A new study has found that among middle-aged adults, achieving a higher daily step count was associated with better insulin sensitivity.

Researchers at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI; Melbourne, Australia), the University of Tasmania (Hobart, Australia), and other institutions conducted a population based cohort study that involved 592 middle-aged adults who participated in the Tasmanian component of the Australian AusDiab national study to map diabetes levels across Australia between 2000 and 2005. The researchers investigated the association between change in daily step count and both adiposity (fatness) and insulin sensitivity. The main outcome measures were body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio, and homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) insulin sensitivity at follow-up in 2005.

The results showed that over the five-year period, the daily step count decreased for 65% of the participants; however, having a higher daily step count was independently associated with lower BMI, lower waist to hip ratio, and greater insulin sensitivity. The associations between the various factors were independent of dietary energy intake, and appeared to be largely due to a change in adiposity over the period. The authors estimated that a sedentary person who takes a very low number of daily steps, but who was able to change behavior over five years to meet the popular 10,000 daily step guideline, would have a threefold improvement in insulin sensitivity, compared with a similar person who increased his or her steps to meet the more recent recommendation of 3,000 steps for five days a week. The study was published in the January 13, 2011, issue of BMJ.

"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,” concluded lead author Terry Dwyer, MD, MPH, of the MCRI, and colleagues.

Related Links:
Murdoch Children's Research Institute
University of Tasmania