Strength training may play an important role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.Researchers followed more than 143,000 U.S. adults for up to 19 years and found that people who consistently engaged in resistance training had significantly lower rates of type 2 diabetes.Compared with those who did no resistance training, adults who performed at least two hours per week had a 27 percent lower risk of developing the disease.The greatest benefit was seen among individuals who maintained resistance training throughout midlife, reducing their risk by 42 percent.The study also found that diabetes risk was lowest among people who combined regular strength training with recommended levels of aerobic exercise and limited sedentary behaviors, such as watching television.While one hour or more of resistance training per week meets public health guidelines, Dr. Shirin Jaggi, an endocrinologist at Northwell Health who was not part of the research team, says the findings suggest that long-term consistency may matter more than volume alone.“Whether that's 30 minutes, whether that's one hour, whether that's two hours, once you build up to it, it's important to stay consistent on it."The authors recommend including resistance training in diabetes prevention guidelines.Source: JAMA Network OpenAuthor Affiliations: Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Universidad Autónoma de Chile.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter