Fitness
Reduces Death Risk, Regardless of Weight
Source:
American Diabetes Association
Publication Being fit can lower a diabetic man's risk of dying, even
if he is significantly overweight, new research suggests.
Investigators found that diabetic men who
were physically fit were less likely than their less-fit peers to die of any
cause over about 15 years. What's more, men who were heavy yet fit had death
risks similar to those of fit normal-weight men.
"This is a testament to the power of being
physically active," said lead study author Dr. Timothy S. Church, medical
director of the Cooper Institute in Dallas. "Essentially, fitness totally
negated the effects of being overweight," he told Reuters Health.
Church and his colleagues report the
findings in the January issue of the journal Diabetes Care.
The study involved nearly 2,200 men who
were followed for an average of just under 15 years. All had undergone a range
of health assessments, including treadmill tests to gauge their fitness levels,
upon entry.
Church's team found that, with all health
factors considered, greater fitness meant a lower risk of death over the years,
regardless of weight. The biggest difference in risk was seen among obese men,
where those who were only moderately fit had a much lower risk of death than
those who were the most out of shape.
This is significant, according to Church,
because it doesn't take a grueling exercise regimen to achieve such a level of
fitness. Thirty minutes of walking five times a week should do it, he noted.
Excess weight and obesity are major factors
in type 2 diabetes, and weight loss can often help control the disease and its
complications, which include heart disease and stroke. The new findings do not
minimize the importance of weight control in managing diabetes, according to
Church and his colleagues.
However, Church said they do point to the
power of physical fitness even in the absence of weight loss.
And, looking at the findings from a
different perspective, thinness did not protect study participants from the ill
effects of being out of shape. Among normal men, those who were the least fit
were nearly seven times more likely to die than the most fit.
Doctors, Church said, should talk to all
patients about getting and staying physically active.
Exactly why fitness cut death risk in this
study is not fully clear, but better cardiovascular health almost certainly
factored in, according to Church. However, the Cooper Institute researchers
have also found that fitness is related to a lower risk of cancer death.
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, January 2004.
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