A new study revealed that resistance exercises are superior to endurance exercises in improving insulin sensitivity in diabetics.
Resistance training, which stimulates muscle contraction against an external force, improves or maintains muscle mass and includes weight lifting. Endurance sports also include walking, jogging, brisk walking, and walking around.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Fralin Institute for Biomedical Research at the Virginia Tech Center in the United States, and its results were published on October 30 in the Journal of Sports and Health Sciences, and the Eurek Alert website wrote about it.
The research compared the effects of endurance and resistance exercise in mice fed a high-fat diet, a commonly used model of obesity, hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes.
The research team, led by exercise medicine researcher Chen Yan of Virginia Tech, found. While running and weightlifting help the body eliminate excess sugar from the blood, resistance exercise was more effective in reducing subcutaneous and visceral fat, improving glucose tolerance, and lowering insulin resistance, which are key factors in diabetes prevention and management.
To make the first direct, controlled comparison, the research team built something that had never existed before: a rat model of weightlifting.
Rats lift weights
The mice lived in specially designed cages where food was accessed through a weighted hinged lid.
Wearing a small shoulder collar, the mice had to lift a lid to eat, performing a squat-like motion that stimulated muscle contractions that humans use during resistance exercises.
The load was increased gradually over several days, mimicking progressive strength training.
For the endurance group, mice were given open access to a running wheel, an approved model of aerobic exercise. The control groups included sedentary mice on a normal or high-fat diet.
Over the course of eight weeks, the research team monitored weight gain, body composition, and fat distribution.
They tested the mice’s ability to exercise by running on a treadmill, assessed their heart and muscle function, and measured how well they regulated their blood sugar.
The researchers also analyzed skeletal muscle tissue to study insulin signaling at the molecular level.
Using their new model of resistance training, the team was able to directly compare how training style affects obesity, blood sugar level, and insulin sensitivity, in a way that closely mimics human exercise.
“Our data showed that running and weightlifting reduce abdominal and subcutaneous fat, and improve blood glucose maintenance, with better insulin signaling in skeletal muscle. Importantly, weightlifting is superior to running in these health benefits,” Yan said.