EXERCISING just 25 minutes a day could slash your risk of diabetes, a study shows.
Being active for less than half an hour reduced people’s chances of the deadly disease by 37 per cent compared to those who do no exercise, Australian researchers found.
GettyGardening, cycling or running for just 25 minutes a day could slash your risk of diabetes, Australian researchers say[/caption]
The lower risk was also found in people who were more genetically likely to develop diabetes, researchers said.
Dr Melody Ding, of the University of Sydney, said activities that make you sweat — like going to the gym, running and hiking — are best.
She said: “Riding a bike to work, walking to the bus stop, and gardening could also be health-enhancing.
“Because there is no minimum benefit threshold, it is important to remember that doing something is better than doing nothing, it is a good start. After that, the more, the better.
“My dad’s side of the family has a history of type 2 diabetes, so the result of the study is extremely heartening for my family and myself.”
Around 4.3million Brits have type 2 diabetes, while a further 2.4million are thought to be at risk of the disease.
The condition causes blood sugar levels to become too high because the body produces too little of a hormone called insulin.
It can cause problems with your eyes and feet, as well as raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Previous research has shown exercise is vital in patients who already have diabetes to help keep blood glucose levels under control.
The latest study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, looked at how different levels of exercise affected people’s risk of the disease.
They tracked more than 59,000 British adults with activity monitors on their wrist to see how it impacted their chances of the disease seven years later.
Those who did some form of vigorous physical activity like running, aerobic dancing, cycling uphill or at a fast pace and heavy gardening such as digging, had lower risks.
Doing them for more than an hour a day reduced the risk by nearly three quarters compared to people who did less than five minutes a day.
The lower risk happened regardless of how genetically likely they were to get the disease.
Lead author Mengyun Luo said: “Physical activity is health-enhancing, especially for people with high genetic risk.
“If you have a family history of type 2 diabetes, or even if you don’t, today is the day to start being physically active.”