Strength Training Beats Cardio for Diabetes
A new mouse study indicates strength training may be more effective than cardio for controlling diabetes. The findings suggest muscle-building exercises could provide superior benefits for glucose management and metabolic health compared to running or cycling.
- The Virginia Tech study that prompted the headline found that while both running and weightlifting mice on a high-fat diet saw health improvements, the weightlifting mice had better glucose tolerance. - Strength training improves insulin sensitivity by increasing the number of glucose transporters (GLUT4) in muscle cells, allowing them to pull more sugar from the blood. - Building more muscle mass through resistance training is key, as muscle is a primary consumer of blood sugar in the body. - While the mouse study highlights strength training, health organizations like the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Diabetes Association currently recommend a combination of both aerobic and resistance exercise for optimal diabetes management. - Human studies have shown that combining cardio and strength training can lead to greater improvements in blood sugar control (measured by HbA1c levels) than doing either type of exercise alone. - The American Diabetes Association recommends that adults with type 2 diabetes get at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity per week, plus two to three sessions of resistance exercise on non-consecutive days. - For those with type 1 diabetes using insulin, some research suggests that performing resistance exercise *before* cardio may help stabilize blood glucose levels during the workout and reduce the risk of post-exercise hypoglycemia. - A long-term study on women found that those who engaged in any amount of strength training had a 30% lower rate of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who did none.
