On Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Week: Is there a better exercise than running for blood sugar control?

Zhen Yan, Professor and Director of the Center for Exercise Medicine Research. examines one.

Faculty Bio:

Zhen Yan’s research highlights the importance of the power plants of our cells, the mitochondria. The quantity, number, and function of mitochondria are critically important to maintaining good health. Yan believes dysfunctional mitochondria is the genesis of a range of deadly and deblitating human diseases, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, cancer, and cognitive decline. His research aims to find ways to improve mitochondrial quality and quantity. Exercise intervention is one of the best ways to promote mitochondrial function.

Transcript:

Running is often praised as the best exercise for burning calories and protecting against diabetes. But when we directly compared running with weightlifting in a controlled experiment, we found weightlifting provided greater benefits for blood sugar control.Using a newly invented model of weightlifting by our lab, mice accessed food by performing a squat-like motion. The load increased over time progressively. Another group of mice had free access to a running wheel, representing endurance exercise. We compared the impact of exercise while mice were on high-fat diet.Over eight weeks, both groups improved glucose tolerance and reduced fat. But weightlifting was more effective. Mice in the weightlifting group showed lower insulin resistance, less obesity, and stronger improvements in insulin signaling in skeletal muscle.Importantly, these benefits were not explained by gains in muscle mass or exercise performance, suggesting that weightlifting triggers unique metabolic pathways.Diabetes and obesity are global health challenges. While endurance, resistance, and high-intensity interval training all improve long-term blood sugar control, our findings highlight that resistance training may offer stronger protection.The take-home message is simple: weightlifting-types of exercise are equally, if not more, effective than running in preventing obesity and improving whole-body metabolism.

Read More:

[Virginia Tech] - Weightlifting beats running for blood sugar control, researchers find

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