High muscle strength linked to 44% lower risk of diabetes: Study

Regardless of a person's genetic propensity for the metabolic disease, a study found that having a high level of muscle strength is associated with a 44% decreased risk of acquiring diabetes. Researchers from the University of Hong Kong discovered evidence of a connection between muscle strength and genetic susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, a condition in which the body is unable to control blood sugar, after analyzing data from the UK Biobank that included over 1.4 lakh individuals.

According to them, this shows that muscle strength may be able to mitigate the impacts of hereditary risk. According to the study's results, which were published in the journal BioMed Central (BMC) Medicine, individuals who are at a high risk of acquiring diabetes but have strong muscles may be less likely to get the metabolic disease overall.

For "additional health benefits," Hong Kong public health guidelines suggest 150–300 minutes of aerobic physical exercise per week in addition to moderate-to-intense muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week.