(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Looking for a simple way to prevent diabetes? Turn
off the TV and put on your walking shoes.
Type 2 diabetes impacts 20.6 million Americans, and African-American women make
up a significant percentage of that population. A new study suggests if those
women would reduce the time they spent watching television and increased the
time they spent walking briskly or engaging in another vigorous activity, they
could drastically reduce their risk of developing diabetes.
Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center examined data
collected in the Black Women's Health Study, an ongoing study of
African-American women from across the U.S. The researchers found that vigorous
activity was inversely associated with a reduced risk of diabetes. Brisk walking
for at least five hours per week was also linked to a reduced risk of diabetes
compared with no walking at all.
The study also found a big reason to turn off the TV. Even in those women who
frequently watched TV but were still physically active, they still were at an
increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Julie Palmer, a professor of epidemiology at BU's Slone Epidemiology Center and
the study's author, said her team's results show that vigorous activity and
brisk walking can protect African-American women against type 2 diabetes.
"That is important because many women don't have the time or place to engage in
'vigorous' physical activity, but most women can find time to walk," she was
quoted as saying.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, published online December 2008
