FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2013 — It’s no secret that exercise and a healthy diet can help ward off diabetes, and the healthier you live, the more you can reduce your risk. Athletes, who tend to exercise regularly and eat well, have a much lower risk of diabetes than the normal population, according to a new study published in the journal Diabetologia, with elite athletes having up to a 61 percent lower risk than the general population – even when diet isn’t taken into account.

“The underlying causes [of type 2 diabetes] are multifactorial, but overweight, physical inactivity and genetic predisposition are believed to be major underlying factors,” the researchers, led by Merja Laine, MD, a diabetes specialist with the University of Helsinki, wrote in the study. “Regular physical activity is known to reduce the risk of a number of health outcomes, including type 2 diabetes. However, less is known about the effect of vigorous physical activity during young adulthood on later diabetes risk.”

Researchers from the University of Helsinki sent out questionnaires to 1,518 former athletes and 1,010 controls between 1985 and 2001, and followed up with the participants in 2008. They found that overall, athletes had a 28 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes than the controls when they were older, with the greatest reduction of risk coming from endurance athletes at 61 percent. Power sport athletes, which include weight lifters and body builders, had a 23 percent lower risk, and athletes who did a mix of both had a 21 percent lower risk.

The researchers did not look at the diet of the athletes or those in the control group, instead focusing on the amount of activity they did. Scott Weiss, MD, a physiologist and physical therapist from Long Island, N.Y., said the findings show that while diet is important, the amount of exercise you get ultimately determines your diabetes risk.

“The take home message is that the more physical activity one does at a young age, the lower their risk of diabetes,” Dr. Weiss said. “The athlete’s exercise came from training, practicing and things like that.”

But you don’t have to be a professional athlete to see the same benefit, Weiss said.