Staying physically active can reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes even in individuals who have a high hereditary risk of developing the disease, according to a new study. Higher levels of overall physical activity, especially moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, were shown to have a strong association with a lower risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes in a study conducted by the University of Sydney. The findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Researchers say the study suggests that high levels of physical activity should be promoted as a key strategy for the prevention of type 2 diabetes, which affects millions of Australians.
The study involved 59,325 adults from the UK Biobank, who wore accelerometers (activity trackers worn on their wrists) at the start of the study and were then followed for seven years to track health outcomes. UK Biobank is a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing anonymised genetic, lifestyle and health information from half a million UK participants.
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This included genetic markers associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Those with a high genetic risk score had a 2.4 times greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with a low genetic risk score.
The study showed that more than one hour of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per day was associated with a 74 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared to participants who did less than 5 minutes of physical activity. This was even when other factors, including genetic risk, were accounted for.
Another compelling finding was that participants with a high genetic risk but who were in the most physically active category actually had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with a low genetic risk but in the least active category. Was.
Senior author Associate Professor Melody Ding, from the Charles Perkins Center and Faculty of Medicine and Health, says although the role of genetics and physical activity in the onset of type 2 diabetes is well established, until now most of the data was self-reported and very limited. There was little evidence that genetic risk could be counteracted by physical activity.
“We are unable to control our genetic risk and family history, but this finding provides promising and positive news that through an active lifestyle, one can ‘fight’ the excessive risk for type 2 diabetes.”