Unfit teens at ‘type 2 risk in later life’

Unfit teenage boys could be at greater risk of type 2 diabetes in later life, regardless of body weight, a study has suggested.  

A total of 1.5 million 18-year-old military recruits, who did not have diabetes at the time, took part in the Swedish study.

By using national hospital and outpatient registries, researchers were able to follow the men’s health and see what the rate of  type 2 diabetes diagnoses had been.

The combination of low aerobic and muscular fitness increased diabetes risk more than the sum of the two individual risks

About 34,000 men, who were found to have low aerobic capacity and muscle strength, diagnosed with the condition, according to the research which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Speaking to Reuters news agency, study lead Dr Casey Crump of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, said: “Not only were both low aerobic and muscular fitness linked with a higher long-term risk of diabetes, but this was true even among those with normal body mass index.

Standardised tests

“These risk factors had a synergistic effect. In other words, the combination of low aerobic and muscular fitness increased diabetes risk more than the sum of the two individual risks.”

The levels of fitness were measured by participants undergoing standardised tests for aerobic capacity and muscle strength.

Researchers said the study is unique because it is one of the to examine fitness, rather than self-reported levels of activity.

Dr Crump said: “More studies will be needed that measure physical fitness as well as diet and body mass index (BMI) at other time points across the lifespan to examine age windows of susceptibility to these factors in relation to diabetes.

“Young people should maintain regular exercise and both aerobic and muscular fitness, and avoid barriers to this such as screen time.”

Current NHS guidelines state that adults aged between 19 and 64 should try to be active daily.

They should also try to take part in at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking every week, and strength exercises on two or more days a week.