a statistically significant effect on controlling diabetes

The benefits of daily exercise have been recently highlighted by a study which shows that not only does exercise help to burn fat but also it can be a great help to diabetics to utilise blood sugar more efficiently. The study which was led by Professor Michael Trenell from Newcastle University explained that the simple act of walking an extra 45 minutes daily had a statistically significant effect on controlling diabetes, burning fat and boosting the ability of muscles to store sugar.

For the study ten Type-2 diabetes volunteers were paired up with volunteers who did not suffer from diabetes and who were roughly the same weight, age and height and all of them were told to walk an extra 10,000 steps every day. When the volunteers were subjected to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans it was clear that by walking 45 minutes every day they used up twenty percent more fat from the body.

The researchers explained that this research was important because it shows that diabetes can be controlled with exercise to a certain extent without using any medication. The researchers said that a 45 minute walk everyday is within the capability of almost all people and it was not something which required dedication like doing a complete work out in the gym. All some people would need to do was walk to work or walk the dog in the park at some point in order to get their healthy exercise quota for the day.

Diabetes is an illness that should not be underestimated and according to some figures is responsible for as much as six percent of all deaths around the world. There is no doubt that diabetes, obesity and lack of physical exercise are linked. The research was published in the clinical journal Diabetes Care.