Don't Stand Around for Diabetes

The take-home message from a wealth of controlled, peer-reviewed research is, Get up and get moving. By itself, even without a family background of diabetes or excess body weight, lack of exercise is a well known independent risk factor for insulin resistance and diabetes. That’s because idle muscles develop “impaired glucose tolerance,” a hallmark of these disorders.

Every time you engage in physical activity, you are turning your biological risk of diabetes down another healthy notch. It lowers your glucose levels and your insulin levels, and if you’ve already been diagnosed with diabetes, it lowers your need for medication. According to a study by the National Institutes of Health, men and women diagnosed with pre-diabetic glucose intolerance who exercised regularly lowered their risk of diabetes by 58 percent—far better than the 31 percent protection offered by the popular diabetes drug, Glucophage.

I personally walk every day, even if it’s raining. I consider it a “have-to” that I happen to love. Not only does it protect me against diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer, but it also helps to lower my stress level.