Being inactive could lead to type 2 diabetes

Washington: Inactivity for two consecutive weeks in overweight seniors increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Not only did a brief and sudden period of inactivity accelerate Appearance of the disease and elevated blood sugar levels. pre-diabetic patients, but the researchers reported that some study participants did not fully recover when they returned to normal activity for two weeks.

"We expected to find that study participants would become diabetic, but we were surprised to find that they were not returning to their healthy state when they returned to an activity normal, "said lead researcher Chris McGlory. The people who participated in the research were asked to reduce their daily steps to no more than 1000 times a day, which is equivalent to being confined to the home.

Their measurements and activity measured with the help of pedometers and specialized monitors tested their blood sugar levels and collected blood samples over the two-week period. The results imply that seniors who experience periods of physical inactivity due to illness, hospitalization and bed rest, for example, are more likely to experience adverse health outcomes overall

"The treatment of type 2 diabetes is expensive and often complicated. people will be on their feet for a prolonged period, they must work actively to recover their ability to manage blood sugar, "said lead researcher Stuart Phillips.

"For pre-diabetic seniors to regain metabolic health and prevent further declines in periods of inactivity, strategies such as active rehabilitation, dietary changes and possibly medications could be helpful, "adds another McGlory researcher.

Research also confirmed that a few days after the onset of inactivity in skeletal muscle mbad, strength and a rapid onset of insulin resistance, a common feature of type 2 diabetes.

The study appeared in the Journals of Gerontology.