Inactivity is worse than being overweight for type 2 diabetics
It was once thought that excess fat was a main contributor to the insulin resistance that can lead to Type II diabetes, but physical inactivity is the bigger problem, say doctors at the ADA conference.
Fat or fitness?
It was once thought that excess fat was a main contributor to the insulin resistance that can lead to Type II diabetes, but physical inactivity is the bigger problem, say doctors at the ADA conference.
Dr. Carl Lavie of the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans spoke about how it isn't the fat, as much as the lack of cardiovascular exercise, that can pose a danger. He cited a 2005 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine that followed men diagnosed with Type II diabetes, and found that low fitness level increased mortality rates even for those that were normal weight, as well as for overweight individuals.
The overall message of the doctors is, regardless of your current fitness level or weight, find a physical activity that you enjoy doing and will want to stick with for the next several years. Just walking roughly 20 minutes per day was found to decrease diabetes risk by almost 70%, regardless of weight or dietary factors.
As long as it gets you out of that chair and moving around, even for a few minutes per day at the office, it will help decrease your risk of developing Type II diabetes.
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