Do you have diabetes genes? A surprising way to cut diabetes risk by 75 percent, even if genes aren’t on your side.
Groundbreaking research indicates that regular physical activity can significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, even among those genetically predisposed to the disease.
The research, spearheaded by the University of Sydney, discovered a robust correlation between elevated levels of physical activity, particularly those of moderate to high intensity, and a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The study’s results can be found in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Researchers suggest that promoting an active lifestyle should be a cornerstone of strategies aimed at preventing type 2 diabetes, a condition that afflicts millions around the world.
The study gathered data from 59,325 adults from the UK Biobank, each of whom wore wrist-mounted accelerometers, or activity trackers, at the beginning of the research period. These individuals were then monitored for up to seven years to observe their health patterns.
The UK Biobank is a comprehensive biomedical database and research resource that collects anonymized genetic, lifestyle, and health data from half a million participants in the UK.
Included in the dataset were genetic markers linked to an increased probability of developing type 2 diabetes. Individuals with high genetic risk scores were 2.4 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with low genetic risk scores.
The research revealed that participants engaging in over an hour of moderate to high-intensity physical activity daily had a 74 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared to those who did less than 5 minutes of physical activity. This held true even when controlling for other variables, including genetic risk.
Interestingly, the study found that highly active individuals with a high genetic risk actually had a lower probability of developing type 2 diabetes than sedentary individuals with a low genetic risk.
Senior author Associate Professor Melody Ding of the Charles Perkins Centre and the Faculty of Medicine and Health commented that while the link between genetics, physical activity, and the onset of type 2 diabetes is well-known, there has been limited evidence until now that physical activity can mitigate genetic risk.
“We are unable to control our genetic risk and family history, but this finding provides promising and positive news that through an active lifestyle, one can ‘fight off’ much of the excessive risk for type 2 diabetes.”
Associate Professor Ding characterizes moderate-intensity physical activities as those that cause you to perspire and slightly increase your breathing rate, with examples including a brisk walk or general gardening tasks.
On the other hand, vigorous-intensity physical activities involve exercises like running, aerobic dancing, uphill or high-speed cycling, and more strenuous gardening tasks such as digging – activities that typically result in heavy breathing or shortness of breath.
Diabetes continues to be a critical health issue worldwide. In 2021, the global diabetic population stood at a staggering 537 million adults. Australia alone reported nearly 1.2 million individuals living with type 2 diabetes in the year 2020.
The results of this study hold significant emotional value for Associate Professor Ding, whose father was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in his sixties.
“My dad’s side of the family has a history of type 2 diabetes, so the result of the study is extremely heartening for my family and myself. As an already active person, I now have extra motivation to keep this active lifestyle,” remarks Prof. Ding.
“Our hope is that this study will inform public health and clinical guidelines so that it can help chronic disease prevention for health professionals, organisations and the public.”
“I am so delighted to share our research results with a broad audience to let people know that physical activity is health-enhancing, especially for people with high genetic risk. If you have a family history of type 2 diabetes, or even if you don’t, today is the day to start being physically active,” adds PhD candidate Mengyun (Susan) Luo, who led the study.
Source: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-106653
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