1000 steps per day would be a simple, effective and inexpensive solution to improve the health of type 1 diabetics, according to the results of a study published by the medical journal Diabetes Care. Indeed, this simple modification would have a positive impact on the cardiovascular health of patients.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by an absence of insulin secretion by the pancreas. It affects approximately 10% of diabetics and mainly targets young people. This chronic disease changes the lives of 18,000 children, adolescents and young adults under the age of 25. This pathology affects more and more people each year, 2700 new cases in children each year, which indicates an increase of more than 3% per year.
Researchers from the University of Adelaide (Australia) conducted a study with 90 children and pre-adolescents with type 1 diabetes to analyze their level of physical activity and understand if there was “a necessary amount of effort to provide” to improve their health.
Children with diabetes are less active than others
Scientists found that these young people and teenagers were not very active. Indeed, they found that 55% of these children walked less than 10,000 steps per day.
“Children with type 1 diabetes often report lower levels of physical activity than recommended for children of the same age,” says lead author Dr. Alexia Peña, pediatric endocrinologist at the Hospital for Women and Children. in Adelaide.
“We also tend to see the first signs of atherosclerosis, plaque buildup in the arteries, and other cardiovascular risks at an earlier age than usual for these children.”
Improve the heart health of type 1 diabetics with 1000 steps daily
Thanks to this study, the researchers were also able to calculate the number of steps necessary for changes in the health of children affected by a type 1 diabetes. They observed that taking 1,000 steps a day would reduce risk factors for heart disease.
“There were clear correlations between artery thickness and average number of steps per day. With an increase of 1,000 steps each day, we saw a measurable decrease in this arterial thickness,” Dr. Peña says.
“In the children who had additional physical activity, we also saw reductions in weight, arterial pressureand triglycerides, indicating an overall reduction in heart disease risk.”
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