Lucknow: Did you know the way you walk can help doctors detect prediabetes? A team from the physiology department of King George’s Medical University has developed a simple walking test. This test may help identify prediabetes — a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough for symptoms to appear.This idea has also got a patent from the Govt of India.In a study published in Acta Scientific Neurology (ASNE), Dr Seema Tewari studied 44 right-handed people — 22 with diabetes and 22 without it.All the people were asked to walk through a short 11-metre tunnel. This tunnel had special machines like DEXA scans and sensors. These machines checked how fast they walked, how balanced they were and how their body moved. Researchers also checked muscle strength, handgrip strength and walking speed.“Diabetes is known to affect both muscles and the brain at an early stage, and this understanding led us to carry out the study,” said Dr Seema Tewari.The study showed that people with diabetes had weaker muscles, with the right leg showing greater weakness than the left. In contrast, people without diabetes had stronger muscles and better balance on both sides.She explained that the weakness in the right leg may be linked to changes in the left side of the brain, which controls body movement. “Fluctuating blood sugar levels can affect how the brain manages balance and coordination, and this may show up as changes in walking patterns,” she said.She said this method may find early body changes of diabetes before symptoms appear, but more studies are needed. Blood tests are still needed to check and track diabetes. This method can help find risk early and prevent the disease.She added that after more testing, this method may be used in hospitals and public places. It may help find people at risk before symptoms start. She said doctors still do not know how many years earlier it can detect risk, so large studies are needed.The team plans to do more studies under ICMR — Indian Council of Medical Research and CTRI — Clinical Trials Registry of India.She said this walking test is simple and does not hurt the body. If proven, it may help detect prediabetes. In future, cameras and AI may also study walking patterns to find diabetes risk. Other researchers like Dr Dilip Verma and Dr Manish Bajpai were also part of the study.
