How the pace of your walk can predict if you will develop life-threatening diabetes

WALKING faster can slash your risk of type 2 diabetes, a study shows.

People who walk 6kph (3.7mph) were 39 per cent less likely to develop the condition than those who walk at less than 3kph (2mph), Iranian researchers found.

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The risk is reduced by 9 per cent for every 1kph (0.6mph) increase in pace.

Dr Ahmad Jayedi, of Semnan University of Medical Sciences, said: “Walking at faster speeds was associated with a graded decrease in the risk of type 2 diabetes.

“While current strategies to increase total walking time are beneficial, it may also be reasonable to encourage people to walk at faster speeds.”

More than five million Brits are thought to be living with diabetes, with cases doubling in the last 15 years.

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The NHS spends at least £10billion annually on the disease — around 10 per cent of its entire budget.

It causes blood sugar levels to become too high because of problems with how the body produces the hormone insulin, which breaks down glucose.

Previous research has shown people who walk more are less likely to develop the condition, with exercise lowering the chances of obesity — a key risk factor for diabetes.

The latest study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, looked at how people’s speed of walking impacts their likelihood of getting it.

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Researchers looked at 10 studies published between 1999 and 2022, which included follow-up periods of between three and 11 years.

Some 508,121 adult patients were included in total, from across the UK, the US and Japan.

The team found walking at between 3kph and 5kph reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 15 per cent when compared with walking at a pace of less than 3kph.

The risk reduced further with a faster pace, with a fairly brisk walk of between 5kph and 6kph associated with a 24 per cent lower risk.