Pumping iron ‘cuts men’s diabetes risk’

Published on 07/08/2012 01:55

LIFTING weights can significantly reduce the risk of diabetes in men, a study has found. Regular weight training cut the chances of developing the most common form of the disease by up to 34 per cent.

Adding aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking or running, can lead to even greater benefits, the research showed.

Scientists analysed data on 32,000 Americans taking part in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which looked at lifestyle effects on health.

Information on how much time the men spent working out and taking aerobic exercise was collected from questionnaires. The findings showed that even modest amounts of weight training may reduce diabetes risk.

The new findings are published in the latest online issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.