Regular weight training can reduce risk of diabetes in men, study finds

Regular weight training cut the chances of developing the most common form of the disease by up to 34 per cent. Adding aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking or running, can lead to even greater benefits, the research showed.

Scientists analysed data on 32,000 Americans taking part in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which looked at lifestyle effects on health.

Information on how much time the men spent working out in gyms and taking aerobic exercise was collected from questionnaires.

During the study period from 1990 to 2008, a total of 2,278 participants developed Type 2 diabetes.

The findings showed that even modest amounts of weight training may reduce diabetes risk.

Participants were categorised according to whether they did between one and 59 minutes, 60 and 149 minutes, or at least 150 minutes of weight training a week.

Pushing iron reduced diabetes risk by 12, 25 and 34 per cent respectively, compared with no training.