medwireNews: Even small increases in the number of steps taken in a day is associated with a reduced risk for mortality in people with prediabetes or diabetes, say researchers.
They report a nonlinear association, with mortality risk falling steeply with more steps per day up to approximately 10,000 steps, after which it plateaued.
In 1194 people with prediabetes, the lowest mortality risk was found among people taking 10,678 steps/day, who had a significant 75% risk reduction relative to people taking 3779 steps per day, which represented the 10th percentile. For the 493 people with diabetes, the corresponding numbers were 10,177 versus 2532 steps/day, and, again, a 75% risk reduction.
The findings were independent of confounders including age, sex, ethnicity, education, diet, and diabetes medication. The data, which came from NHANES 2005–2006, supplied a median follow-up of around 9 years, during which 200 and 138 people with prediabetes and diabetes, respectively, died.
“These results contrast with recent findings suggesting that 6,000–8,000 steps per day may be the optimal dose to lower the risk of all-cause mortality among the general population,” write Jesus del Pozo-Cruz (University of Seville, Spain) and study co-authors in Diabetes Care.
“Ultimately, our results highlight the need for specific recommendations tailored to individuals with prediabetes or diabetes.”
medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2022 Springer Healthcare Ltd, part of the Springer Nature Group
Diabetes Care 2022; doi:10.2337/dc22-0524