How Exercise Helps Diabetics

There’s no doubt that physical activity can help ward off the threat of type 2 diabetes or improve your diabetes if you’ve already got it. But what’s the mechanism of this effect? Workers at Ann Arbor , Michigan , have published a report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism that explains how exercise works. They measured the effects of 7 consecutive days of aerobic exercise in 12 sedentary older folk with impaired glucose tolerance. A battery of special tests was done, focused on the function of the beta cells of the pancreas – those that produce insulin.

After the exercise week, the subjects’ sensitivity to insulin had increased by over 50%, and a measure of beta-cell function had risen by 28%. These effects couldn’t be explained by any changes in the participants’ body weight, circulating levels of lipids, or body fat mass.

This discovery may not lead immediately to new therapeutic opportunities, but it’s likely that knowing how something works is going to motivate you to take it more seriously, which can only be good.