Physical activity may help combat excess genetic risk for type 2 diabetes

New research has revealed that being active can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, even in people with a high genetic risk of developing the medical condition.

The study, led by the University of Sydney, found that higher levels of total physical activity, particularly physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity, were strongly associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The findings were published in British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Researchers say the study shows that higher levels of physical activity should be encouraged as a key prevention strategy for type 2 diabetes, which affects millions of Australians.

The study included 59,325 adults from the UK Biobank, who wore accelerometers (activity tracking devices worn on their wrists) at the start of the study and were then followed for up to seven years to track health outcomes.

The UK Biobank is a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing the anonymised genetic, lifestyle and health information of half a million UK participants.

This includes genetic markers associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. People with a high genetic risk had a 2.4 times higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with a low genetic risk.

The study showed that more than an hour of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity per day was associated with a 74% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to participants who did less than 5 minutes of physical activity.

This was even when other factors, including genetic risk, were taken into account.

Another compelling finding was that participants with a high genetic risk but who were in the most physically active category actually had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with a low genetic risk but at least the active category.

Senior author Melody Ding, associate professor at the Charles Perkins Center and School of Medicine and Health Sciences, says that although the role of genetics and physical activity in the onset of type 2 diabetes is well established, until now most data has been self-reported and there has been little evidence whether genetic risk can be counteracted by physical activity.

“We are unable to control our genetic risk and family history, but this finding provides promising and positive news that through an active lifestyle, one can ‘fight’ much of the excess risk of type 2 diabetes.”

Associate Professor Ding says moderate-intensity physical activity describes movements that make you sweat and get slightly out of breath, such as brisk walking and general gardening.

Examples of vigorous-intensity physical activity include running, aerobic dancing, cycling uphill or at a fast pace, and hard work in the garden, such as digging—all activities that leave you short of breath or cause you to breathe heavily.

A study to help inform public health guidelines

Diabetes is a global public health problem. In 2021, there are 537 million adults living with diabetes worldwide. Almost 1.2 million Australians were recorded as living with type 2 diabetes in 2020.

The findings also have strong personal significance for Associate Professor Ding, whose father was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes aged 60.

There is a history of type 2 diabetes on my father’s side of the family, so the result of the study is extremely exciting for my family and me. As an already active person, I now have extra motivation to maintain this active lifestyle.

Our hope is that this study will inform public health and clinical guidelines so that they can help prevent chronic disease for health professionals, organizations and the public.”

Melody Ding, senior author, associate professor, Charles Perkins Center

“I am very excited to share the results of our research with a wide audience to let people know that physical activity improves health, especially for people at high genetic risk.” If you have a family history of type 2 diabetes, or even if you don’t, “No, today is the day to start being physically active,” says doctoral student Mengun (Susan) Luo, who led the study.