A new study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine highlights that walking briskly, particularly at speeds above 4 km/hour, significantly reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
This finding is crucial as the global count of adults with this condition is projected to surge to 783 million by 2045.
Optimal Walking Speed for Diabetes Prevention
Researchers analyzed long-term studies up to May 2023, focusing on the impact of walking speed on diabetes risk.
They included data from 10 studies, spanning from 1999 to 2022, involving over 500,000 adults from the U.S., Japan, and the UK. The analysis revealed that:
- Walking at an average speed of 3–5 km/hour reduces the diabetes risk by 15%.
- Fairly brisk walking at 5–6 km/hour is linked to a 24% lower risk.
- Brisk walking or striding over 6 km/hour correlates with around a 39% reduced risk, equating to 2.24 fewer diabetes cases per 100 people.
Every 1 km/hour increase in walking speed further diminishes the risk by 9%, with 4 km/hour (87 steps/minute for men, 100 steps/minute for women) being the minimal effective threshold.
Walking Speed as a Health Indicator
Walking speed is a vital indicator of overall health, reflecting cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength, both associated with diabetes risk. Brisk walking aids in weight loss, improving insulin sensitivity.
Study Limitations and Recommendations
The study acknowledges potential biases, including inadequate adjustment for influential factors and the methodology of assessing walking speed.
It also points out the possibility of reverse causality, where individuals with faster walking speeds may already lead more physically active lifestyles with better overall health.
Despite these limitations, the findings underscore that while increasing total walking time is beneficial, encouraging faster walking speeds can amplify health benefits.
This simple and cost-effective physical activity could be a key strategy in preventing type 2 diabetes and promoting overall health.
If you care about blood sugar, please read studies about why blood sugar is high in the morning, and how to cook sweet potatoes without increasing blood sugar.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies about how to eat to prevent type 2 diabetes, and 5 vitamins that may prevent complication in diabetes.
The research findings can be found in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
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