A study has warned that moderate strength training in women can help prevent type 2 diabetes.
Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of Southern Denmark followed 99,300 middle‑aged and older women for 8 years and conducted a detailed analysis of their lifestyle and exercise habits.
The results showed that exercises that help improve muscle strength — such as resistance training (e.g., weight lifting, strength training with weights) and low‑intensity muscle conditioning exercises (e.g., yoga and stretching) — can effectively reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Specifically:
Exercising for 3.5 hours per week reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 30%–40%.
Exercising for 1 hour per week reduced diabetes risk by 13%.The best effects were seen among those who did at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week, combined with at least 1 hour of muscle strength training.
The researchers recommended that exercise is the most affordable and simple health‑promoting measure. However, exercise should also be diverse: it is best to combine aerobic exercise and strength training for comprehensive protection against diabetes.