Can Exercise Lower Genetic Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?

A new study reveals that physical activity can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, even for individuals with a high genetic risk for this condition.

The study, led by the University of Sydney, found a strong correlation between higher levels of overall physical activity, especially moderate to vigorous intensity, and a reduced risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. These findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Researchers suggest that promoting higher levels of physical activity should be a key strategy in preventing Type 2 diabetes, which affects millions of Australians.

The study involved 59,325 adults from the UK Biobank who wore accelerometers (wrist-worn fitness trackers) at the beginning of the study and were then monitored for up to seven years to track health outcomes.

The UK Biobank is a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing genetic, lifestyle, and health information from half a million UK participants. Participants in the study were assessed for their genetic risk of developing diabetes based on variations in 424 DNA nucleotides across different genes (single nucleotide polymorphism). Compared to previous studies, this study offered a more comprehensive assessment of genetic risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.

The research showed that engaging in more than an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise daily was linked to a 74% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to participants who did less than five minutes of physical activity. This outcome was consistent even when considering other factors, including genetic risk.

Interestingly, participants with high genetic risk who were in the most physically active category had a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to those with low genetic risk but in the least active category. Another fascinating finding was that there was no minimum threshold of exercise needed to reduce the risk of diabetes. Even people who were moderately to vigorously active for 5-26 minutes a day had a 37% reduced risk of developing diabetes. Low-intensity physical activity was not associated with reduced diabetes risk. Moderate-intensity activities include walking at least 4.8 km/h, cycling, and jogging. Low-intensity activities were defined as walking at speeds up to 4 km/h.

While we cannot control genetic risk and family history of diabetes, these findings provide promising and positive news, demonstrating that maintaining an active lifestyle with regular exercise throughout the week (even less than half an hour a day) can overcome an increased genetic risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Activities such as brisk walking, aerobics, dancing, cycling that elevates the heart rate are beneficial. It is important to understand that exercise improves insulin sensitivity in various tissues of the body and helps the transfer of blood sugar to tissues (muscle/fat). The impact of physical activity on insulin sensitivity can last up to 48 hours.

Dr. Maya Ish-Shalom is an expert in internal medicine, endocrinology, and diabetes at the DMC Center for Diabetes Care.