Exercise Before 13 Years of Age Reduces the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Later Life

Insulin resistance is a condition which leads to high blood sugar and is a precursor to type 2 diabetes. Researchers at University of Exeter have suggested that making your kid exercise harder in the early teens and making them do physical activities can actually reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The found that physical activity provides the greatest benefits to adolescent insulin resistance which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes when the condition peaks at 13 years of age. But, it provides no benefit at 16 years of age.

For the research, the scientists measured insulin resistance, in the same 300 children every year from 9 years of age to 16 years. The results showed that the condition was 17% lower in the more active adolescents at 13 years of age independently of body fat levels. But, this difference diminished progressively over the next three years and had disappeared completely by age 16, when insulin resistance levels were much lower.

Researcher Brad Metcalf said, "Insulin resistance rises dramatically from age 9 to 13 years then falls to the same extent until age 16 and our study has found that physical activity reduced this early-teenage peak in insulin resistance but had no impact at age 16."

The study is published in Diabetologia.

Source-ANI