June 22, 2023 – Genetics or lifestyle – which is more necessary?
This is considered one of the everlasting questions in healthcare, but recent scientific findings provide a solution: At least in terms of stopping type 2 diabetes, lifestyle is more necessary.
Among 60,000 healthy middle-aged adults, those that exercised probably the most—a minimum of 68 minutes a day—were 74% less more likely to develop type 2 diabetes after 7 years than those that were least lively (those that exercised lower than 5 minutes a day).
This was even true for individuals with a high “genetic risk score” – those that were 2.4 times more more likely to develop the disease resulting from their genes.
But here is the really remarkable result: individuals with a high genetic risk who were probably the most lively had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than individuals with a sedentary lifestyle and no genetic risk.
This underscores how effective exercise may be in stopping chronic diseases, said Dr. Melody Ding, lead creator of the study. published this month in British Journal of Sports Medicine.
“The take-home message is that doing something is better than doing nothing, and doing more is even better,” said Ding, an associate professor of public health on the University of Sydney in Australia. “If it's within your power, increase your activity to at least a moderate level.”
Exercise is sweet, more exercise is healthier
Physical activity is already one of the necessary strategies for stopping and treating type 2 diabetes. However, little is understood about how well physical activity can offset genetic risk, researchers say.
And while most studies depend on self-reports, this study used fitness trackers to observe the quantity and intensity of physical activity, the researchers say. In theory, meaning they will more reliably determine what “dose” of exercise is best for stopping diabetes.
But in line with the study any Some physical activity—even 5 to 25 minutes a day—may also help reduce the danger of diabetes, provided the activity is finished at moderate to vigorous intensity.
The basic mechanism is well understood, Ding said. When your muscles work, they burn glucose (sugar) for fuel, removing it out of your bloodstream and thus lowering blood sugar. Exercise also makes your body more sensitive to insulin, she said.
However, recent research also shows that endurance sports equivalent to cycling and running can improve the function of genes, particularly those relevant to metabolic health.
“When genes adapt to the stimuli they receive through exercise, they function in slightly different ways,” said Mark Chapman, PhD, assistant professor of integrated engineering on the University of San Diego and lead creator of a study on this topic.
For example, genes might deliver more oxygen to muscles or learn to control blood sugar more efficiently, he said. Over many years, these gene adaptations could help prevent diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Still, “even a month of training can make a difference,” Chapman said.
How do you understand in case you are training hard enough?
According to the study, moderate to vigorous physical activity is the important thing to diabetes prevention.
Moderate activity means you'll breathe somewhat harder and possibly sweat somewhat. A brisk walk, a motorcycle ride on flat ground, and even gardening and home tasks will do the trick, so long as you place in somewhat more effort or move somewhat faster.
Strenuous activities are even tougher. You breathe heavily and quickly, begin to sweat, and have trouble saying greater than a couple of words without taking a breath. Think Jogging, cycling uphill or moving a sofa up a staircase.
And don’t forget strength training. Research report in Sports medicine found that individuals at high genetic risk for diabetes saw large improvements in body fat, blood lipids, and glycemic control after 12 weeks of moderate-intensity resistance training.
If there's a history of diabetes in your loved ones, you need to use that as motivation. That's exactly what Ding does. Several relations on her father's side have type 2 diabetes, and that knowledge motivates her. She goes cycling, swimming, high-intensity interval training, strength training, dancing and yoga.
“Exercising more, at least at a moderate intensity so that you get a little out of breath and sweat a little, is a big part of combating a genetic vulnerability,” she said.