Two new reasons to exercise

Better Nutrition, April, 2007

We all need to exercise when we're healthy, but for those battling type 2 diabetes or worried about prostate cancer, the rewards may be even greater.

A new study in Diabetes Care points to regular exercise as a factor in managing type 2 diabetes. After reviewing 27 placebo-controlled studies involving more than 1,000 people during five- to 104-week periods, researchers concluded that aerobic and/or resistance training offers small-to-moderate benefits in lowering hemoglobin A1c, a measure of how much blood sugar sticks to red blood cells. The American Diabetes Association recommends a hemoglobin A1c of less than 7 percent; higher levels indicate uncontrolled diabetes,

Exercise may also be important for men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. A study in the International Journal of Cancer followed 29,000 men for 17 years. Participants were asked to rank their exercise levels as none, low, medium or high. Subjects who exercised the most had a 36 percent lower chance of developing metastatic prostate cancer, the advanced stage during which cancer spreads to other organs. Men who exercised once a week reduced their risk by 30 percent.