A new large-scale study from the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has found that building and maintaining muscle strength may significantly reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D)—even in people who are genetically more likely to get the disease.
The study, published in BMC Medicine, shows that high muscle strength is linked to over 40% lower risk of T2D, regardless of a person’s genetic background.
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that affects about 1 in 10 people worldwide. It happens when the body can’t use insulin properly, leading to high blood sugar levels.
If left untreated, T2D can lead to serious complications like heart disease, stroke, and kidney problems. While genetics play a role, lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, and physical fitness are also key.
In this study, researchers wanted to find out whether muscle strength could protect against T2D in people with different levels of genetic risk. To do this, they analyzed data from over 141,000 white British participants in the UK Biobank—a large health database that collects detailed information on genetics, lifestyle, and health outcomes.
All participants were free of diabetes when the study began. Muscle strength was measured using grip strength, a common and simple way to estimate overall muscle strength. The team also calculated each person’s genetic risk for T2D based on 138 known genetic variants.
Participants were followed for more than seven years. During this time, nearly 4,750 people developed type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that people with higher grip strength had a 44% lower risk of developing diabetes compared to those with lower grip strength—even when accounting for genetic risk and other health factors like age, sex, and body weight.
Interestingly, people who had both high genetic risk and high muscle strength still had a lower chance of developing T2D than people with low genetic risk but weak muscles. This means that strong muscles may help “cancel out” some of the inherited risk for diabetes.
This is the first long-term study to show a clear link between muscle strength, genetic risk, and the chance of getting type 2 diabetes. According to Dr. Wang Mengyao, the study’s lead author, “Our findings show that muscle strength matters—no matter what your genes say.”
Co-author Professor Youngwon Kim emphasized that the results support current health guidelines recommending adults to do muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week. These include activities like lifting weights, resistance band exercises, or even bodyweight movements like push-ups and squats.
The research also highlights the power of biobank studies—large collections of health and genetic data—to help scientists understand how genes and lifestyle interact to influence disease. The authors hope to see more studies in other ethnic groups to confirm whether the same benefits of muscle strength apply to populations outside the U.K.
In summary, this research suggests that keeping your muscles strong is a powerful tool to help prevent type 2 diabetes—especially for people who may already be at higher risk due to their genes.
For middle-aged and older adults, it’s a reminder that building strength through regular activity isn’t just good for bones and joints—it may also protect your long-term metabolic health.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies that flaxseed oil is more beneficial than fish oil to people with diabetes, and green tea could help reduce death risk in diabetes.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies that blueberries strongly benefit people with metabolic syndrome, and results showing vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.
The research findings can be found in BMC Medicine.
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