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A walk a day will keep the Grim Reaper away.
So says a new study published by The Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that diabetics who walked at least two hours a week had a 39 percent lower risk of death from any cause and a 34 percent lower risk of heart-related death than those who didn't walk at all.
And the news gets even better: People who pushed themselves farther, walking at least three hours a week, reduced the risk of death by more than 50 percent.
Earlier studies showed that regular physical activity helped people with diabetes keep their blood sugar under control, but researchers knew less about the long-term benefits of exercise for diabetics.
The pluses of a moderate walking appear to be even greater than current diabetes treatments, researchers say.
"For the vast majority of the population, the benefits of walking are enormous, with little or no harm," the researchers write. "So far, walking is probably the `best medicine' for both prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus."
SOURCE: www.webmd.com
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Edited and compiled by Ray Walker.
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(c) 2003, Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.
