Experts agree that exercise is key to managing blood sugar levels. But there is still debate about the best form of exercise for blood sugar health. Running is often favored as it rapidly burns glucose for energy. But new research says weightlifting may be more effective for helping blood sugar and managing weight.
“We all want to live a long, healthy life,” said the study’s lead author, Prof. Zhen Yan of Virginia Tech. “We all know the benefits of regular exercise. There is plenty of evidence in humans that both endurance exercise, such as running, and resistance exercise, such as weightlifting, are effective in promoting insulin sensitivity.”
The study was the first of its kind comparing the two types of exercise in overweight mice with blood sugar concerns. The mice in the weightlifting group had a weighted lid over their food, causing them to do squats to get to their meals. Mice in the running group were on a traditional wheel.
In the weightlifting group, the weighted door got progressively heavier over the trial, just like progressive strength training. There were also two control groups that were sedentary. One was on a high-fat diet, the other was on a normal diet.
Over eight weeks, both groups lost weight and had improvements in insulin sensitivity. But the weightlifting mice performed better. Their blood sugar levels returned almost to normal.
It’simportant to remember that animal tests are not the same as human trials. But the tests closely mirrored the impact of human exercise, making the researchers hopeful about the meaningfulness of their work.
“The findings bring good news for people who, for any number of reasons, cannot engage in endurance-type exercise,” said Prof. Yan. “Weight training has equal, if not better, [blood sugar] benefits.”
Prof. Yan said, “The take-home message is that you should do both endurance and resistance exercise, if possible, to get the most health benefit.”
While that is good advice, we see something else that’s also true. Both types of exercise helped. We always say the best form of exercise is the one you stick with and enjoy. We think this is great news for people who have problems with endurance exercise. But it also shows that the activity of both sorts moves the needle. The important thing is to get your body in motion.
As fitness trainer Nitin Maurya said, “You do not need to aim for perfection. You need to get stronger. Every rep you do and every step you take is a step away from illness and a step toward strength. Your body is capable of healing. But it needs your help. It needs movement. It needs resistance. It needs muscle.”
