Walking pace and microvascular complications among individuals with type 2 diabetes: A cohort study from the UK Biobank

Abstract Introduction Walking pace is associated with various health‐related outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between self‐reported walking pace and the incidences of diabetic microvascular complications among participants with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods Self‐reported walking pace was classified as brisk, average, or slow. The outcomes were the incidences of diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic nephropathy. COX proportional hazards models adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health‐related factors were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs. Results A total of 14 518 participants with T2D in the UK Biobank (mean age 59.7 ± 7.0 years, 5028 [34.6%] women) were included. During a median follow‐up of 12.5 (interquartile range: 11.6–13.4) years, 2980 participants developed diabetic microvascular complications. After adjusting for confounding factors, and compared with brisk walkers, slow walkers had a multivariable‐adjusted HR of 1.98 (95% CI 1.58, 2.47) for composite diabetic microvascular complications, 1.54 (95% CI 1.11, 2.14) for diabetic retinopathy, 3.26 (95% CI 2.08, 5.11) for diabetic neuropathy, and 2.32 (95% CI 1.91, 2.82) for diabetic nephropathy. Average walking pace was associated with a higher risk for diabetic nephropathy (HR 1.51, 95 CI% 1.27–1.79) compared with brisk walking. Additionally, ≥1 diabetic microvascular complication occurred in 447 (14.7%) of participants with brisk walking pace, 1702 (19.5%) with average walking pace, and 831 (30.4%) with slow walking pace. Time from study recruitment to first diagnosis was shorter in participants who reported a slow walking pace, compared with brisk or average walkers. Among participants who had diabetic nephropathy as their first diagnosis, slow walking pace was associated with subsequent risk of a second diabetic microvascular complication (HR 3.88, 95 CI% 2.27–6.60). Conclusions Self‐reported slow walking pace is associated with a higher risk of diabetic microvascular complications among participants with T2D in this population‐based cohort study.