"A key figure from our study is that for every 1,000 steps per day, our results showed a 6 percent lower diabetes risk in this population. What that means is, if the average older adult were to take 2,000 more steps every day in addition to what they were already doing, they might expect a 12 percent reduction in diabetes risk," said first author Alexis C. Garduno, a third-year student in the University of California San Diego and San Diego State University joint doctoral program in public health.
A multi-institutional team of researchers analysed data from the Women's Health Initiative whose aim was characterizing physical activity and cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women. For the current prospective study, a diverse cohort of women 65 and older, who did not have a diabetes diagnosis and who lived independently, were asked to wear a research-grade accelerometer for 24 hours per day over the right hip for one week. Their health was followed for up to seven years.
"We wanted to understand the extent to which stepping, or walking, is related to diabetes. And, is 10,000 steps a day really necessary for people to reduce their risk for diabetes?" said senior author John Bellettiere, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego. The primary aim of the study was to assess associations between total steps taken per day and the development of diabetes. The secondary aim was to evaluate whether step intensity or cadence influenced diabetes risk. Of the 4,838 women in the study, 395 or 8 percent developed diabetes.
Adults 65 and older often live with mobility or disability challenges. As physical activity drops their risk for Type 2 diabetes increases. According to the American Diabetes Association, 1.5 million people are diagnosed with diabetes every year. "If we estimate that one-third of that population is older adults, that's 500,000 older individuals who are newly diagnosed with diabetes every year. If all of them increase their steps by 2,000 steps per day and our 12 percent estimate is proven to be casual, we would expect 60,000 people each year to not get diabetes due to that increase in steps," said Bellettiere.
Previous prevention studies had demonstrated that regular physical activity, along with an improved diet, reduced the risk of diabetes in adults. In fact, the United States Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week to reduce the risk of numerous chronic diseases, including diabetes.