Walking: a matter of quantity and quality physical activity for type 2 diabetes management

Walking is often prescribed as a mode of physical activity for people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We and others have found that although people with T2D may increase the amount that they walk (e.g., more steps per day), improvements in key health outcomes are rarely achieved. We agree that walking is an acceptable approach for people with T2D to meet current clinical practice guidelines, but consideration of both the total number of daily steps and the walking speed of a portion of those total daily steps are necessary to gain health benefit.