Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes

A study published online on January 14, 2014 on the PLOS Medicine site looked at types of exercise and risk for type 2 diabetes in middle-aged and older women. Close to 100,000 women from the Nurses' Health Study and the Nurses' Health Study II, who were free of diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular disease, were followed for several years. The results of the study suggested that engagement in muscle-strengthening and conditioning activities (resistance exercise, yoga, stretching, toning) was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Previous research had been clear that aerobic exercise was associated with a lower risk. This study shows that strengthening can also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.