Overcome Type II Diabetes Risk With Pedometers

A new UK funded diabetes study revealed that meticulous use of pedometers could cut the risk of developing Type II diabetes by 50% in individuals diagnosed as high risk patients. Pedometers are simple gadgets, which sense the movement of hips to give an accurate count of the number of steps taken while walking. They are considered by researchers to be acceptably accurate for assessing typical walking behaviours and they also have the potential to be used as motivational devices.

98 patients with prediabetes (raised blood sugar levels that define this condition as a precursor to Type II diabetes), participated in the PREPARE programme i.e., Prediabetes Risk Education and Physical Activity Recommendation and Encouragement, to gauge the effectiveness of a pedometer as a motivational device and therefore its utility in defeating diabetes.

The role of principled and punctilious physical activity to prevent onset of Type II diabetes has been proven by research. The PREPARE program begins with spreading information on prediabetes and benefits of healthy lifestyle to patients through a three hour group educative session. The group was later split into a ‘control group’, which was given only a brief information leaflet and another ‘study group’, which was given both the education session and a pedometer. The second group had personalised ‘steps-per-day’ targets and were advised to achieve at least 30 minutes of walking activity each day.

An assessment of glucose levels in these individuals who were tested after they ingested a standardised amount of sugar, showed a reduction by 15 per cent in the pedometer group after a year- a reduction that was greater than what was reported after one year in the most successful European and American studies of this kind.

Dr Iain Frame, Research Director at leading health charity Diabetes UK, said: “Prediabetes affects an estimated seven million people in the UK and puts you at up to fifteen times more risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. By finding new ways to educate and motivate people with prediabetes, we are aiming to stop the Type 2 diabetes epidemic in its tracks and prevent millions of people developing serious complications of the condition such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation. This study shows that we can and must take action to prevent Type 2 diabetes, particularly if the benefits can be shown in a larger number of people and over a sustained period of time.”

The UAE is among the top five countries with the highest percentage of adult diabetes sufferers, with 70% of the UAE population at risk for developing diabetes according to current indicators. The story is similar in other GCC countries, making it imperative that use of such gadgets be stressed in order to achieve healthy outcomes in individuals diagnosed with pre-diabetes and diabetes.

Article by Snigdha Taduri for Biomed-ME