A new study by researchers from the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has found that having strong muscles can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), even if you have a high genetic risk of the disease.
The research highlights the importance of muscle strength as a powerful tool in preventing T2D.
Type 2 diabetes is a common long-term condition that affects how your body controls blood sugar.
It’s linked to serious health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.
About 10% of people around the world live with T2D.
While genes can play a role in developing the disease, lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and muscle strength are also important.
In this large study, researchers looked at data from over 141,000 white British adults who did not have diabetes at the start of the study.
They used grip strength to measure muscle strength and tracked participants’ health for more than seven years. They also looked at each person’s genetic risk for diabetes, based on 138 known genes related to T2D.
During the study period, nearly 4,750 people developed type 2 diabetes.
The results showed that people with high muscle strength had a 44% lower risk of developing T2D than those with low muscle strength — even after accounting for their genetic risk and other health factors.
Interestingly, the study also found that people with high genetic risk but strong muscles had a lower chance of developing T2D than people with low genetic risk but weak muscles. This suggests that building muscle can help offset the risk of diabetes caused by genetics.
“This is the first time we’ve seen this kind of long-term connection between muscle strength and genetic risk for type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Wang Mengyao, the study’s lead author.
The researchers believe their findings support public health advice that adults should do muscle-strengthening exercises at least two times a week, especially as they age. These activities can include weightlifting, resistance band workouts, or even bodyweight exercises like push-ups and squats.
The study’s authors also hope that future research will explore whether these results apply to people in other ethnic groups, such as East Asians.
Overall, this study offers new evidence that keeping your muscles strong can protect against type 2 diabetes — no matter your genes.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about diabetes and vitamin B12, and the right diet for people with type 2 diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to eat smart with diabetes, and turmeric and vitamin D: a duo for blood pressure control in diabetic patients.
