Adherence
Increasing physical activity by at least 10-11 MET hours per week (equivalent to ~1.2 miles or 2,400 steps of additional walking daily) produces significant health benefits and cost reductions in sedentary patients with type 2 diabetes.
If you have type 2 diabetes, you do not need to start running or lifting heavy weights to improve your health. Start by adding just 30 minutes of walking (or about 2,400 steps) to your daily routine. Use a simple pedometer to track this. Once this becomes easy, gradually add another 500-1,000 steps per day. This modest, sustainable increase is enough to generate significant health benefits and reduce healthcare costs.
The authors found significant health benefits with increases in physical activity of ≥10 MET h/week, and they suggest that this is the minimum increase in physical activity required to achieve health and financial benefits in sedentary patients with type 2 diabetes.
Why this rating
Based on a post hoc analysis of a single study (Di Loreto et al.), which the author explicitly cautions must be treated with caution until confirmed by other prospective studies.
Source
Walking and Type 2 Diabetes
James O. Hill · Diabetes Care · 2005
DOI 10.2337/diacare.28.6.1524
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →