In other breaking news, the planet is mostly covered with water.
In a development sure to be covered in more detail in the next issue of The Journal of Duh, a study of overweight type 2 diabetics has found that increasing the amount of walking they do every day will result in significant improvements in heart and respiratory fitness. The study examined the exercise routine of eight subjects who were already walking more than the recommended 10,000 steps a day.
“The program used simple tools (pedometer and stopwatch) and a simple message to pick up the pace,” said Steven T. Johnson of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, along with colleagues in the journal Diabetes Care.
The “Pick Up the Pace” program measured the number of steps that test subjects were typically taking and increased them by ten percent. This increase led to improvements in heart rate response to exercise, as well as a decrease in blood sugar levels.
In an earlier study, Johnson and his colleagues found that type 2 diabetics typically walk at a speed that is slower than that necessary to derive health benefits, even when the number of steps taken daily were increased.
There’s no word on whether or not they uncovered any mysterious connection between slow walking and painful feet, but I can only hope that in the near future, these researchers can unlock the secrets of how not smoking or eating donuts can also increase the health of diabetics. Well played, Mister Science!
(via Reuters)
3 opinions for In other breaking news, the planet is mostly covered with water.
AmyT of www.diabetesmine.com
Jul 6, 2006 at 9:46 am
Hey Rob,
Funny post.
Any chance your wife might be interested in participating in the Diabetic Partner Follies? See the intro today at http://www.diabetesmine.com.
Kathy W.
Jul 6, 2006 at 11:49 am
funny post! Reminds me of the story recently in which researchers “discovered” that hot flashes at night disturb sleep.
On the other hand, there was something useful in this study. Maybe the original Reuters story wasn’t clear, but the study was trying to say that simply walking a lot isn’t enough–you have to walk fast at least 3 times a week. They weren’t pushing more steps overall for people already walking a lot, but more steps per minute in a few exercise sessions. Just walking a gazillion steps a day won’t increase cardiovascular fitness or lower blood sugar as well as working in some more intense bouts of exercise.
angelo
Jul 7, 2006 at 6:59 am
Haha! This post reminds me of that road sign picture I saw on the net long ago that said “Road Wet When Raining” LoL!
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