A recent study has highlighted the relationship between walking speed and the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, indicates that brisk walking is associated with a nearly 40% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.
Dr. Ahmad Jayedi, the lead author of the study and a research assistant at the Social Determinants of Health Research Center at Semnan University of Medical Sciences in Iran, explained that while previous studies have linked frequent walking with a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes, there has been a lack of clarity regarding the optimal habitual walking speed for minimizing this risk.
The findings emphasize the potential benefits of brisk walking in mitigating the risk of Type 2 diabetes and highlight the importance of not only the duration but also the speed of walking in promoting health.
The study examined 10 previous studies conducted between 1999 and 2022 that explored the connections between walking speed and the development of Type 2 diabetes in adults from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The assessment involved both objective timed tests and subjective reports from participants. the risk of developing
After an average follow-up period of eight years, individuals who walked at an average or normal pace exhibited a 15% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to those who walked casually. Walking at a “fairly brisk” pace resulted in a 24% lower risk, while “brisk/striding walking” had the most significant benefit, showing a 39% reduction in risk.
Walking speeds were categorized as follows: easy or casual walking (less than two miles per hour), average or normal pace (two to three miles per hour), “fairly brisk” pace (three to four miles per hour), and “brisk/striding walking” (more than four miles per hour). Furthermore, each 0.6 mile per hour increase in walking speed above brisk was associated with a 9% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.