Brisk walk good for artery health in type-2 diabetes (T2D)

A leading cause of death in people who have type-2 diabetes (T2D) is a deteriorating health of the blood vessels which is also an underlying mechanism that promotes the progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD), ultimately resulting in heart attacks.

Managing cardiovascular disease risk effectively in people with T2D is a major challenge for doctors.

‘What we found from our analysis, is that aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking or cycling appears to have a significantly beneficial effect on the stiffness and the function of the smooth muscles in the arteries,’ said lead researcher Kimberley Larisa Way from University of Sydney in Australia.

‘This makes our findings very valuable to health professionals, because aerobic exercise can be used as a primary treatment strategy for arterial health, while also assisting with other health complications associated with T2D (Type-2 diabetes),’ Way noted.

Exercise, in any form, is one of the first lines of treatment recommended by doctors to prevent complications associated with diabetes.

Complications of uncontrolled diabetes include – loss of vision, increase risk of heart attack and stroke, kidney failure, loss of libido (impotence), etc.

Previous research has consistently shown that exercise is exceptionally beneficial for managing cardiovascular disease and blood pressure medication is the main treatment used to manage arterial health problems.

The findings, published in the journal Current Diabetes Reviews, shed new light on exercise as a treatment in T2D.

This new study combined the results of 9 randomised controlled clinical trials investigating the effects of exercise in T2D.

‘We focused on measures looking at arterial stiffness, vascular reactivity and smooth muscle function, because there is evidence that suggests they are closely associated with disease progression and CVD mortality,’ Way said.

Walking is good for health – but looks like even more good for people who have diabetes!