According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 30 million Americans have diabetes and more than 84 million are prediabetic. That is, they have characteristics (such as age, weight, sex, blood sugar, physical activity, etc.) that greatly favor the appearance of a Type 2 diabetes, but the symptoms are not yet significant enough for a diagnosis. Researchers from Mcmaster University (Canada) have just shown that, in this type of person, inactivity of only two weeks was enough to cause symptoms of diabetes to appear. Their research was published in The Journals of Gerontology.
Participants were asked not to exceed 1000 steps per day. This amounts to confinement at home due, for example, to illness. Their activity was measured using pedometers and specialized monitors, while the researchers tested their blood sugar and took blood samples during the two-week experiment.
Consequences that last over time
The study focused on elderly people who were overweight, and therefore susceptible to easily developing type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that a sudden and brief period of inactivity accelerated the onset of the disease and increased the blood sugar levels in prediabetic patients. Even more worrying, the bodies of some patients could not recover after two weeks when physical activity had returned to normal. The researchers also noted a reduction in skeletal muscle mass, strength, and a rapid onset of resistance to insulin.
“We expected to find that study participants would become diabetic during the period of inactivity, but we were surprised to find that they did not return to a healthier state when they returned to normal activity.” , said in a press release Chris McGlory, lead author of the study. This shows that older and overweight people who experience periods of physical inactivity due to illness, hospitalization and bed rest, for example, are more likely to experience the consequences. “For older people with pre-diabetes to regain their metabolic health and prevent periods of inactivity, strategies such as active rehabilitation, dietary changes and perhaps medication may be helpful,” concludes Chris McGlory.
Read also :
There are not 2 types of diabetes … but 5!
We have already told you: sitting for more than 7 hours a day is bad for your health
