(HealthDay News) — Walking at faster speeds seems to be associated with a reduction in the risk for type 2 diabetes, according to a review published online Nov. 28 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Ahmad Jayedi, PhD, from the University of Medical Sciences in Semnan, Iran, and colleagues examined the association between walking speed and the risk for type 2 diabetes in a systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 cohort studies.
The researchers found that for average/normal walking (3.2 to 4.8 km/hour), fairly brisk walking (4.8 to 6.4 km/hour), and brisk/striding walking (>6.4 km/hour), compared with easy/casual walking (<3.2 km/hour), the relative risks (95% confidence intervals) of type 2 diabetes were 0.85 (0.70 to 1.00), 0.76 (0.65 to 0.87) and 0.61 (0.49 to 0.73). Across subgroups based on adjustment for the total volume of physical activity and time spent walking per day, no significant or credible difference was seen. The risk for type 2 diabetes decreased significantly at a walking speed of 4 km/hour and greater according to a dose-response analysis.
“While current strategies to increase total walking time are beneficial, it may also be reasonable to encourage people to walk at faster speeds to further increase the health benefits of walking,” the authors write.
