Most people know that a lack of exercise can contribute to their risk of diabetes, but new research indicates that resistance exercise might actually decrease your risk more than other kinds of exercise.
The research on diabetes and resistance exercise
A team of researchers from several different universities looked at the data from 4,681 adults between the ages of 20 and 100 who did not have diabetes. The volunteers all had physical exams at baseline and at the end of the study, and all did leg and chest presses so the researchers could measure their muscle strength. These muscle strength measurements were adjusted for factors such as age, body weight and sex.
The scientists found that the volunteers with moderate muscle mass had a 32% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, independent of other lifestyle factors, including:
• frequent smoking
• obesity
• frequent drinking
• high blood pressure
Limitations of the study
Although the research team wasn’t able to collect detailed information on the resistance training habits of all the volunteers, they did collect the information from some participants. Using this data, they found that there might be a link between a person’s muscle strength and how frequently they do resistance training.
The study’s co-author Angelique Brellenthin explains, “You’re not necessarily going to see the results of resistance training on your bathroom scale, but there are several health benefits. It may help lower your risk for type 2 diabetes even though you do not lose body weight, and we know maintaining muscle mass helps us stay functional and independent throughout life.”
So, what type of resistance training do the researchers recommend?
“We want to encourage small amounts of resistance training and it doesn’t need to be complicated,” says Brellenthin. “You can get a good resistance workout with squats, planks or lunges. Then, as you build strength, you can consider adding free weights or weight machines.”
