Simply walking more every day could help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, lower body mass index, and increase sensitivity to insulin, finds a new Australian study published in the British Medical Journal.
Researchers in Tasmania worked with 592 adult volunteers over the span of five years. Using questionnaires, clinical exams and pedometers, they tracked the number of steps taken each day and compared them to various health factors.
They found that a higher daily step count was independently associated with a lower BMI, lower hip-to-waist ratio, and improved insulin sensitivity at the five year follow-up.
They concluded that the average person should aim to take about 10,000 steps a day (approximately 8 km of walking) in order to fully enjoy the health benefits and reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes.
The Canadian Diabetes Association estimates that there are over 9 million Canadians currently living with diabetes. About 90 percent of sufferers have type 2 diabetes, and the number of cases is rising sharply.
With type 2 diabetes, the body either does not produce enough insulin or it doesn’t properly use the insulin it produces, causing glucose to build up in the blood instead of getting converted to energy.