To Your Health
August, 2012 (Vol. 06, Issue 08) |
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Weight Training to Beat Diabetes
There are many ways to prevent diabetes. The main focus these days has been put on diet and exercise, but just what exercise is essential when it comes to keeping diabetes at bay?
Recent research suggests that weight training not only helps melt off pounds, but also helps reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The stud,y published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, noted that engaging in two and a half hours of weight training or aerobic exercise lowered the risk off type 2 diabetes. The study pointed out that combining both aerobic exercise and weight training had the greatest reduction in risk.
The study analyzed data on 32,000 men who were followed for almost two decades as part of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, a long-running project looking at the health of medical professionals.
The researchers found that 2,278 of the men developed type 2 diabetes. After controlling for many variables, including age, body mass and alcohol intake, the researchers found that engaging in aerobic exercise for at least 150 minutes a week lowered the risk of developing the disease by 52 percent. Doing the same amount of weight training, meanwhile, was associated with a 34 percent lower risk, independent of any aerobic exercise. Doing both led to the greatest reduction in risk.
Is weight training an element of your exercise routine? It should be, because as this study suggests, it can help ward off type 2 diabetes - and help you get in shape for better overall health. Talk to your chiropractor about safe ways to incorporate weight training in your workout regimen.
