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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Looking for a simple way to prevent diabetes? Turn off the TV and put on your walking shoes.
Type 2 diabetes impacts 20.6 million Americans, and African-American women make up a significant percentage of that population. A new study suggests if those women would reduce the time they spent watching television and increased the time they spent walking briskly or engaging in another vigorous activity, they could drastically reduce their risk of developing diabetes.
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Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center examined data collected in the Black Women's Health Study, an ongoing study of African-American women from across the U.S. The researchers found that vigorous activity was inversely associated with a reduced risk of diabetes. Brisk walking for at least five hours per week was also linked to a reduced risk of diabetes compared with no walking at all.
The study also found a big reason to turn off the TV. Even in those women who frequently watched TV but were still physically active, they still were at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Julie Palmer, a professor of epidemiology at BU's Slone Epidemiology Center and the study's author, said her team's results show that vigorous activity and brisk walking can protect African-American women against type 2 diabetes.
"That is important because many women don't have the time or place to engage in 'vigorous' physical activity, but most women can find time to walk," she was quoted as saying.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, published online December 2008
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