Can you reduce your genetic risk of type 2 diabetes by getting more exercise?

Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease that mainly arises because we eat too much and exercise too little. But there is a strong genetic component. After all, not everyone who is overweight will develop diabetes. New research now shows that even if you are genetic, you can significantly reduce your risk of disease by exercising more.

There are more than half a billion people with type 2 diabetes worldwide and the number is growing. As mentioned, you take a higher risk if you are overweight and don’t exercise much. Conversely, you can also reduce your risk with a good figure, a healthy body mass index and a little belly fat. Genetics also play a role.

Genetic biomarkers
Australian researchers I looked at the effect Different training regimens affect the development of type 2 diabetes. To do this, they were able to use data from about 60,000 participants from a UK Biobank, who regularly wore a fitness watch and were followed for up to seven years. The UK Biobank contains the anonymized biomedical data of more than half a million Britons. Think about genetic data and information about health and lifestyle.

In this way, the researchers were able to select participants with genetic biomarkers associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes. This group was 140 percent more likely to develop adult-onset diabetes than the control group. But that changed when they started exercising. Those who did moderate or vigorous exercise for at least an hour a day had a 74 percent lower risk of developing diabetes, compared to those who exercised less than five minutes a day, on average.

promising and positive
Lead researcher Melody Ding explains that the role of genes and physical activity in the development of type 2 diabetes has been widely reported in studies, but most of the data to date has been based on self-reports. There is still little real evidence that people with a high genetic risk also benefit from sport and exercise, and to what extent. We cannot change our genes and family history, but we can change our lifestyle. Our study proves that an active lifestyle can offset most of the additional risks of diabetes. This is very promising and positive news,” says Ding. “It was found that participants with elevated genetic vulnerability who were physically active were more likely to develop diabetes due to their lifestyle than hard-tested subjects with few or no poor biomarkers. Absolutely.”

It is not even necessary to work up a sweat to experience a positive effect anyway. Professor Ding explains that a session of moderate-intensity exercise can be sufficient. You’ll sweat a little and you’ll be a little out of breath, like brisk walking or gardening.

an hour every day
There is also a personal touch to Ding’s studies. “Several relatives on my father’s side had type 2 diabetes, so the results of this study are great for me and my family. I’m already an active person anyway, and now I’m extra motivated to maintain this active lifestyle,” Ding explains.

We hope this study helps the public, as well as medical professionals and health organizations, to learn more about the possibilities for preventing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. I am so glad we can share this information with such a large audience. Sport and exercise improve health and life expectancy, especially for people with a significant genetic vulnerability. If you have type 2 diabetes in your family, now is the time to start a physically active life. And you are not hereditary? After that, it’s still a good idea to do sweating exercises every day for at least an hour,” says researcher Mingyun Lu.

The risk of developing type 2 diabetes:
If your sibling has diabetes, you have a 15 to 20 percent chance of developing the disease.
If your mother or father had it, you have a 10 to 20 percent risk of developing it.
If both parents have it, the chance increases to 20 to 40 percent.
If two or more of your parents or siblings have diabetes, you have a 25 to 70 percent chance. If your identical twin brother or sister has it, the chance is 70 to 90 percent.