A new study offers hope for the millions at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, revealing that just 150 minutes of exercise per week can significantly boost the chances of reversing prediabetes and restoring healthy blood sugar levels.
The findings, published in Cardiovascular Diabetology – Endocrinology Reports, align with longstanding guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO), which emphasizes that type 2 diabetes is largely preventable. Key prevention strategies include maintaining a healthy body weight, staying physically active, and managing blood sugar levels — all of which help stop prediabetes from progressing.
Prediabetes is a condition marked by elevated blood sugar and insulin resistance. While not yet full-blown diabetes, it is a serious warning sign — about 25% to 50% of those with prediabetes will eventually develop type 2 diabetes without intervention.
“The health impact of having diabetes is profound,” said Dr. David Cutler, a board-certified family medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Centre in California. “Heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, vascular disease, blindness, and infection — these all come with diabetes and lead to earlier death and impaired quality of life.”
But there’s good news: the study found that individuals who engaged in more than 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week were four times more likely to reverse prediabetes and return to normal blood glucose levels compared to those who did not meet the exercise threshold.
Dr. Cutler, though not involved in the research, highlighted the practical takeaway:
“Diet, weight control, and exercise are the key ingredients to a long and healthy life. And now you can have a concrete target to aim for — 150 minutes of exercise per week.”
In addition to regular physical activity, researchers also identified that maintaining HbA1c levels below 6.0% — a marker of average blood sugar over several months — significantly increased the likelihood of reversing prediabetes.
As rates of type 2 diabetes continue to rise globally — affecting more than 6% of the adult population and projected to hit 7% by 2030 — these findings offer a simple, actionable way to fight back: get moving.
