Staying physically active is one of the keys to preventing diseases such as obesity or metabolic syndrome, but not all exercises are equally effective and their intensity and the frequency with which they are practiced also influence. Now, new research has analyzed at what pace we should walk if the goal is to reduce the chances of developing type 2 diabetes and has come to the conclusion that walking at about four kilometers per hour significantly reduces the risk of suffering from this disease.
The study was carried out by scientists from the Semnan University of Medical Sciences (Iran), who published their findings in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The results have shown that going for a walk regularly is related to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and that each kilometer increase in walking speed is associated with a 9% decrease in said risk.
The researchers reviewed previous studies that had been published between 1999 and 2022 that involved 508,121 adults in the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom, and included follow-up periods of between three and 11 years. Analysis of the pooled data revealed that walking at between 3 and 5 kilometers per hour was associated with a 15% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of the time spent doing that activity.
The faster the walk, the more the risk of diabetes was reduced.
Walking 5 or 6 kilometers per hour was associated with a 24% lower risk of diabetes compared to just walking, and walking more than six kilometers reduced the odds of suffering from this endocrine disease by 39%. Each 1 kilometer per hour increase in walking speed was associated with a 9% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, starting at a minimum of 4 kilometers per hour at 87 steps/minute for men and 100 for women, according to shows the post.
Walking at between 3 and 5 kilometers per hour was associated with a 15% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, between 5 and 6 km/h a 24% lower risk, and above 6 km/h there was a 39% lower risk.
The researchers have cautioned, however, that three of the studies they relied on were rated at moderate risk of bias and another seven at high risk of bias, which was mainly due to inadequate adjustment for potentially influential factors on the results. results and the way in which gait speed had been evaluated, so the results must be interpreted taking these limitations into account.
Additionally, it is important to consider reverse causality whereby participants who walk faster might be more likely to be physically active and have greater cardiorespiratory fitness, more muscle mass, and better overall fitness and health.
For all these reasons, they point out that their findings must be interpreted considering these limitations, although in their opinion there are acceptable explanations for the results because walking speed is an important indicator of the general health status of an individual and a key indicator of their ability functional.
