Research Highlights: If adolescents replaced 30 minutes of sedentary time each day with sleep or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, it may reduce their insulin resistance and thus reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to an …
A study indicates that increased physical activity and longer sleep duration in adolescence may significantly lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Researchers followed over 350 adolescents, beginning at age 12, for 13 years. They monitored participants’ physical activity and sleep patterns using accelerometers, and tracked medical markers such as insulin resistance and blood sugar levels.
The findings revealed that more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity at age 12 was associated with lower insulin resistance at age 16 and a reduced likelihood of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes by age 25. Specifically, every 10-minute daily increase in physical activity was linked to a 9 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Similarly, longer sleep at age 12 was independently associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes at age 25. Each additional 19 minutes of daily sleep was connected to a 14 percent lower risk. Adolescents who met physical activity recommendations (60 minutes daily) had a 39 percent lower risk. Those who met sleep recommendations (8 to 10 hours daily) had a 57 percent lower risk. Meeting both recommendations further reduced the risk by 69 percent.
Guidelines recommend 9 to 11 hours of sleep for children aged 6-12 and 8 to 10 hours for teenagers aged 13-18. Insulin resistance is understood to be a precursor to type 2 diabetes. These results underscore the critical importance of lifestyle interventions focused on adequate sleep and physical activity during childhood and adolescence for preventing type 2 diabetes.
https://newsroom.heart.org/news/more-sleep-and-physical-activity-may-prevent-type-2-diabetes-in-teens
