(Aria Bendix/ NBC News) — There’s overwhelming evidence that walking lowers the risk of Type 2 diabetes, along with other diseases like cancer, heart disease and dementia.
The American Diabetes Association recommends taking 10,000 steps a day or walking daily for at least 30 minutes to reduce your diabetes risk.
Walking faster can improve that benefit, but researchers haven’t identified an ideal speed — until now.
An analysis published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that, independent of distance or step count, walking at least 2.5 mph can significantly lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. That’s the equivalent of a brisk walk — around 87 steps per minute for men and 100 steps per minute for women.
Once people meet that threshold, their risk continues to decline as they increase their speed, according to the research. Every 0.6 mph increase in walking speed in the analysis was associated with a 9% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. (…)