Adults with diabetes who walk regularly have lower death rates than those who are less active.

It's already known that physical exercise reduces heart disease, diabetes and death rate. For people at risk of diabetes, walking and other physical exercise stops progression to the condition. And for those who already have diabetes physical activity improves blood sugar control and reduces cardiovascular complications.

Researchers at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, have examined data on nearly 3,000 adults with diabetes. Compared to inactive adults, those who walked two hours a week or more had a 39 per cent reduced all-cause death rate and a 34 per cent lower cardiac death rate. Mortality rates were lowest for those who walked for three to four hours a week and for those whose walking was intense enough to raise heart and respiration rates. It may be that exercise is the best medicine for diabetes.

Source

Archives of Internal Medicine 23rd June 2003