THURSDAY, July 21, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Brisk walking may be more effective than jogging in controlling blood glucose levels in patients with prediabetes, according to a study published online July 15 in Diabetologia.
The study included 150 individuals with prediabetes who were divided into four groups. One group followed a gold-standard program that included a low-fat, low-calorie diet and moderate-intensity exercise equivalent to 7.5 miles of brisk walking a week. The other participants were assigned to one of three exercise groups: low amount at moderate intensity equivalent to walking briskly for 7.5 miles a week; high amount at moderate intensity equal to walking briskly for 11.5 miles weekly; and high amount at vigorous intensity equivalent to jogging for 11.5 miles a week.
After six months, patients using the three-pronged approach had an average 9 percent improvement in oral glucose tolerance. Among those who did exercise only, there was a 7 percent improvement in the moderate-intensity, 11.5-mile group; a 5 percent improvement in the moderate-intensity, 7.5-mile group; and a 2 percent improvement in the vigorous-intensity, 11.5-mile group.
"When faced with the decision of trying to do weight loss, diet, and exercise versus exercise alone, the study indicates you can achieve nearly 80 percent of the effect of doing all three with just a high amount of moderate-intensity exercise," lead author William Kraus, M.D., of the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C., said in a journal news release. "I was heartened by the fact that I found out that I can give patients one message and they can get nearly the same effect as when required to exercise, diet, and lose weight all at the same time."
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