People with diabetes or prediabetes know their numbers from check-ups: sugar, cholesterol, weight. Does Nordic Walking move them? A fresh review from 2026 tried to answer, and the result is sober, but not useless.
What the 2026 review found
The authors pooled six randomised studies with 321 adults. Compared with control, Nordic Walking brought:
- a weight drop of 0.79 kg,
- a drop in glycated haemoglobin HbA1c of 0.37 percentage points (0.49 for diabetes, 0.2 for prediabetes),
- higher HDL (“good”) cholesterol by 0.07 mmol/l,
- better maximal oxygen uptake, that is fitness.
HbA1c is a marker that tells you how high the blood sugar was on average over roughly the last three months. That is why it is followed in diabetes: it does not show only what you ate this morning but the overall picture.
Fasting glucose, insulin resistance, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and blood pressure did not change.
How to read it
The changes are small, and for HbA1c the studies differ a lot, with heterogeneity of 69%. That means one study showed a large drop and another almost none, and the combined number is their average. Six studies are also few. It is not a miracle but a small, measurable move in the right direction.
It is good to know what to expect. If someone promises that Nordic Walking will “fix diabetes”, they have exaggerated. If someone says it is a waste of time, they have exaggerated as well.
What we do not know yet
We do not know whether Nordic Walking is better than walking of the same length without poles. The review did not compare them. So the poles may not be what improves the numbers; perhaps it is enough that a person moves regularly.
Do you walk with poles and follow your values? Tell us in the forum whether you have noticed any changes.
A weight drop of 0.79 kg is a little less than one kilogram. No revolution, but working with weight is done in small steps, not big leaps. And the fact that fitness improved is good news in itself: better fitness means walking will be easier for you next time too.
So: a small number, but in the right direction. If you already walk, do not stop. If you do not, poles will not spoil anything, and a few months of regular movement will show not only in the check-up but in how you feel.
What to take away
In diabetes the studies agree on small but measurable changes. Small does not mean useless: regular movement adds up over weeks and months. More important than a perfect pace is that you walk repeatedly and without stress.
Do you walk with poles because of diabetes, or for something else? Tell us in the forum what helps you keep going.
Text: Kompas.
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