Category: Exercise

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Metformin May Echo the Benefits of Exercise in Prostate Cancer Care

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A new study has found that metformin may mimic one of exercise’s core biological effects in men with prostate cancer, raising levels of a molecule tied to energy balance and weight control even when patients are inactive. The findings suggest that metformin could help counter the metabolic strain of hormone therapy, when fatigue and other side effects often limit physical activity.

Led by physician-scientists at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, the study appears in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.

Exercise is one of the most reliable ways to support health during cancer treatment. It helps regulate weight, blood sugar, and cardiovascular health – factors that shape how patients feel during therapy and how well they recover afterward.

For many people with cancer, however, regular exercise isn’t always feasible. Fatigue, hormone therapy, pain, or advanced disease can limit physical activity precisely when metabolic health becomes most important.

That reality has led researchers to ask a practical question: If exercise confers its benefits through specific biological signals, could some of those signals be activated in other ways?

According to the research, the answer may be yes. Sylvester investigators report that metformin raises levels of a naturally occurring molecule involved in how the body manages energy and weight in prostate cancer patients.

The finding does not suggest that a pill can replace physical activity. Instead, it offers insight into the internal pathways that underlie exercise’s metabolic benefits – and how those pathways might still be engaged when movement is limited.

“This study reflects what’s possible when laboratory science, metabolic biology, and clinical investigation are intentionally brought together for transdisciplinary studies,” said Sylvester researcher and first author, Marijo Bilusic, MD, PhD, genitourinary medical oncologist and professor of medicine and medical oncology at the Miller School. “The result isn’t a new cancer biomarker, but a clearer understanding of how a widely used drug may support metabolic health during prostate cancer treatment – an outcome that matters to patients and clinicians alike.”

The molecule at the heart of the study

At the center of the collaborative, team-science study is a molecule called N-lactoyl-phenylalanine (Lac-Phe). While its name is technical, its role is relatively simple.

Lac‑Phe is produced when the body is under metabolic demand. It forms when lactate, which accumulates during exertion, combines with phenylalanine, a basic building block of protein. Scientists first took notice of Lac‑Phe because its levels spike after intense exercise, coinciding with shifts in energy use and appetite regulation.

In preclinical and early human studies, higher Lac‑Phe levels have been associated with reduced appetite and improved weight control – two effects commonly linked to regular physical activity.

Lac-Phe does not rise only with exercise. Scientists observed elevated Lac-Phe levels in people taking metformin, even in the absence of physical activity. That overlap raised an important question for cancer care: Could a pathway typically associated with exercise be activated pharmacologically in patients whose treatments limit movement?

Why prostate cancer patients are a focus

To explore that question, the Sylvester team focused on prostate cancer, where hormone-based therapies are known to disrupt metabolism, contributing to weight gain, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular risk.

Notably, Lac-Phe levels in patients treated with metformin approximated those previously reported after strenuous exercise. This occurred even though patients were not exercising at the time of blood collection, and the effect persisted after hormone therapy began.

“From a clinical standpoint, seeing a metabolic signal that mirrors what we associate with intense exercise was striking,” said Bilusic. “For patients whose treatments or symptoms limit physical activity, that kind of effect could be especially meaningful.”

Higher Lac-Phe levels were not associated with anti-tumour response to metformin. The metabolite did not correlate with changes in prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a standard marker used to monitor prostate cancer.

What Lac-Phe might mean for patients

That distinction is central to the study’s interpretation. While more expanded studies are needed to determine the utility of Lac-Phe as a marker of anticancer efficacy, it appears to reflect how the body manages energy, weight and metabolic strain during treatment. These results were confirmed to ensure the findings were not limited to one clinical setting. In fact, increases were also observed in patients receiving other metabolic therapies, suggesting Lac-Phe may reflect a broader metabolic response rather than a drug‑specific effect.

“Cancer therapy often affects the body in ways that go beyond the tumour,” said Sylvester researcher Priyamvada Rai, PhD, co-leader, Tumor Biology Program and professor of radiation oncology at the Miller School. “Supporting metabolic health can influence how patients tolerate treatment and how they feel over time, even if it doesn’t directly change tumour growth. This study was an opportunity to investigate molecular pathways that can be therapeutically activated for better outcomes to treatments that induce metabolic stress.”

Metformin raises a stress hormone called GDF‑15, but this study found that Lac‑Phe was more closely tied to weight changes. Because the two didn’t rise together, metformin likely affects weight through multiple pathways, with Lac‑Phe playing a bigger role.

Taken together, the findings offer a clearer picture of how a widely used diabetes medication may influence metabolic health during prostate cancer care.

“What’s encouraging about this work is that it reminds us cancer care isn’t only about targeting tumours – it’s also about supporting the whole patient,” said Rai. “By better understanding how treatments affect metabolism, we can begin to identify ways to help patients maintain strength, resilience, and quality of life throughout their care.”

Source: University of Miami

Categories : ExerciseTags :

Urban and Rural Residents Engage in Different Kinds of Physical Activity

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In new study, rural and urban residents differed in the types of physical activity they do the most

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In a study of US adults, walking was, by far, the most popular leisure-time physical activity, while rural residents also enjoyed gardening, hunting and fishing, and urban residents more commonly reported running, weightlifting and dance. Urban residents were more likely than rural residents to meet physical activity guidelines. Christiaan Abildso of West Virginia University, US, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on April 1, 2026.

The US Department of Health and Human Services publishes guidelines on recommended amounts of aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity for adults. While the overall proportion of U.S. adults meeting these guidelines has increased in recent decades, certain populations are less likely to meet them, including adults living in rural areas. Understanding differences in preferred recreational physical activities could help inform efforts to reduce such disparities.

However, few studies have examined urban versus rural preferences for leisure-time physical activities, and how they relate to meeting guidelines. To address that gap, Abildso and colleagues analysed telephone survey data collected from a national sample of 396 261 U.S. adults in 2019.

Out of 75 survey options for leisure-time physical activities, walking was the most popular among both urban and rural adults, with 44.1% reporting walking as the activity they spent the most time doing. This finding echoes a similar study of U.S. data collected in 2011, which also found walking to be the top activity. However, further analysis of the 2019 data showed that even among walkers, only 25% met combined guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity, and about 22% did not meet either guideline.

The popularity of other activities varied. For instance, rural residents reported higher rates of gardening, hunting, fishing, and farm work, while urban residents had higher participation in running, weightlifting, bicycling, and dance. However, in general, rural adults were more likely to be inactive and less likely to meet guidelines for aerobic or muscle-strengthening physical activity.

These findings could help inform efforts to boost physical activity by tailoring solutions to be more culturally and demographically appropriate. The researchers also call for a similar analysis of more recently collected data, as habits may have shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Christiaan Abildso adds: “We expected to see that walking would continue to be the most common physical activity. However, it was surprising to see that nearly 1 in 4 adults who walk as their main activity did not meet either of the physical activity guidelines. That is, they reported less than the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and less than the recommended 2 days per week of muscle strengthening activity, such as yoga or exercises with resistance bands.”

“What we might be seeing in these rural-urban differences in preferences may just reflect what people have access to or what is culturally supported. In our work, we see a need to continue to support our partners in small towns and rural places by creating physical, social, and cultural conditions that support physical activity. This could mean creating a wide shoulder on a country road for running and cycling, helping a senior centre with their chair exercise programming, creating or improving park spaces, expanding the national network of rail-trails, renovating abandoned and dilapidated structures (Brownfields) into viable activity centres, keeping school facilities open to the public, and many other strategies. Everyone needs to ask, ‘how does what we’re doing affect physical activity,’ in order to help get people more active, more often, in more places.”

Provided by PLOS

Categories : Ageing ExerciseTags :

An Active Middle Age Cuts Women’s Risk of Premature Death in Half

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Australian study tracking more than 11 000 women found that meeting exercise guidelines during midlife had strong benefits for mortality

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Women who consistently met physical activity guidelines throughout middle age had half the risk of dying from any cause compared to women who remained inactive, according to a new paper publishing March 26th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Binh Nguyen of the University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues.

Physical activity is known to provide numerous health benefits and to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and premature mortality. However, most prior studies have measured physical activity at only a single point in time, which fails to capture how activity levels change over time.

In the new study, researchers used data from 11 169 women born between 1946 and 1951 who enrolled in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Participants were surveyed nine times between 1996 and 2019, approximately every three years. Data was collected on how often the women met the World Health Organization’s recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per week.

The researchers found that consistently meeting MVPA recommendations throughout midlife was associated with a relative risk of all-cause mortality that was half that of those who consistently did not meet the recommendations (relative risk: 0.50). In absolute terms, the incidence of death was 5.3% among women who consistently met guidelines versus 10.4% among those who consistently did not. The magnitude of effect appeared similar or even stronger for cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality, though greater uncertainty in those estimates made the findings less conclusive, possibly because fewer deaths from those causes were observed. The evidence for benefits of starting to meet recommendations later in midlife – at age 55, 60, or 65 – rather than throughout all of midlife was also uncertain and inconclusive.

The study was limited by the fact that physical activity was self-reported and that the study sample may not be representative of all mid-aged Australian women.

“This study supports the growing evidence that maintaining an active lifestyle in midlife provides health benefits,” the authors say. “Women should be encouraged to meet physical activity recommendations throughout mid-age to derive these benefits.”

Nguyen adds, “Staying active throughout midlife can make a real difference for women’s long-term health. Our study shows that maintaining recommended levels of physical activity over multiple years helps protect against early death.” 

Provided by PLOS

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New Resistance-Training Guidelines Emphasise Consistency over Perfection

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The first major update to resistance-training guidelines in 17 years delivers one clear message: any amount of resistance training improves strength, muscle size, power and physical function.

The new recommendations, published by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as a Position Stand, are based on 137 systematic reviews involving more than 30 000 participants, making them the most comprehensive resistance-training guidelines to date.

“The best resistance training programme is the one you’ll actually stick with,” says Stuart Phillips, distinguished professor in the Department of Kinesiology and an author on the Position Stand. “Training all major muscle groups at least twice a week matters far more than chasing the idea of a ‘perfect’ or complex training plan. Whether it’s barbells, bands, or bodyweight, consistency and effort drive results.” 

This update has been a long time coming. ACSM last published a Position Stand on resistance training for healthy adults in 2009, predating the explosion of research on muscle health, aging and the role of strength in long-term wellbeing.

“The new document reflects that surge in evidence and expands its recommendations to include more people and more types of training than ever before,” Phillips says.

A central theme of the new Position Stand is that the most meaningful gains come from a simple shift: moving from no resistance training to any form of it. While training variables such as load, volume, or frequency can be fine-tuned, the primary goal for most adults should be to build a consistent routine.

One of the greatest changes is the recognition that meaningful results don’t require a gym. Elastic bands, bodyweight training and home-based routines offer clear and measurable improvements in strength, muscle size and functional performance.

Rigid rules and prescriptive ideal programs are no longer supported by evidence, explains Phillips. Instead, personal goals, enjoyment, and long-term adherence matter most, especially for adults looking to stay strong, healthy and functional as they age. 

Athletes and highly trained individuals will still require more specialized, sport-specific programs, but for the average adult, the message is simple: find a resistance-training routine you enjoy and stick with it.

The full ACSM Position Stand is now available in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 

Source: EurekAlert!

Categories : Exercise GastrointestinalTags :

Scientists Discover a Gut Bacterium Linked to Muscle Strength

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Ageing naturally weakens our muscles, but a new study published in the journal Gut have found a gut bacterium that may help turn the tide. The researchers Leiden University Medical Center and the Universities of Granada and Almería, found that Roseburia inulinivorans is linked to stronger muscles in both people and mice. The discovery hints at the potential for new probiotics to support muscle strength and healthy ageing.

While exercise and good nutrition remain important for maintaining muscle strength, scientists are now turning their attention to a lesser‑known player: the gut. “The bacteria living in our intestines help us process nutrients, regulate inflammation and manage energy,” Patrick Rensen, professor at the division of Endocrinology, notes. “All of these processes are essential for keeping our muscles healthy as we age.”

A gut bacterium linked to stronger muscles

In their new work, the researchers identified one particular gut bacterium, Roseburia inulinivorans, that appears to be linked to stronger muscles across the lifespan. “When we compared young adults aged 18 to 25 with older adults aged 65 and above, we noticed clear differences,” postdoc Borja Martínez-Téllez says. “Older adults who carried this bacterium had 29 percent stronger handgrip strength than those who didn’t.” In young adults, higher levels of Roseburia inulinivorans were associated with stronger muscles and better overall fitness. “It was remarkable to see the same pattern in both age groups,” Martínez-Téllez adds.

Testing the bacterium in mice

To find out whether this link was more than coincidence, the researchers carried out a series of experiments in mice. “We wanted to understand whether this bacterium actually causes improvements in muscle strength,” Rensen explains. After clearing the mice’s gut bacteria using antibiotics, they introduced human strains of Roseburia inulinivorans for eight weeks.

“The results were striking,” Rensen says. “The mice became 30 percent stronger, developed larger muscle fibres and produced more fast‑twitch fibres.”

The team also found that the bacterium changed how the muscles used certain building blocks and activated energy‑related pathways inside the muscle. “These metabolic changes may help explain why the muscles grew stronger,” according to Martínez-Téllez.

From discovery to potential probiotic treatment

Another key observation is that levels of Roseburia inulinivorans naturally decline with age. “This could partly explain why muscle strength drops as we get older,” Martínez-Téllez says. “If this bacterium supports muscle metabolism, then restoring it might one day help preserve muscle function later in life.”

Together, the findings suggest that Roseburia inulinivorans could become a future probiotic, developed into a safe, supplement‑like product aimed at preventing age‑related muscle‑wasting conditions. “A nutraceutical approach – using food‑based or naturally derived products – could offer a gentle and non‑invasive way to support healthy ageing,” Martínez-Téllez explains.

The researchers however caution that considerable work needs to be done before these findings can be turned into a treatment for humans.

Source: Leiden University Medical Center

Categories : Exercise Mental HealthTags :

For Better Mental Health in Middle Age, Watch Less TV

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Replacing time spent watching TV with other activities can help prevent depressive disorder in middle-aged adults, revealed a new study in European Psychiatry, published on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association by Cambridge University Press. The effects were less pronounced in older and younger adults.  

Lead researcher Rosa Palazuelos-González, of the University of Groningen, said that this new study is unique for investigating how reallocating time from TV-watching to various physical activities and sleep affects the onset of depression. Most studies until now have focused on identifying correlations between sedentary lifestyles and incidences of depression, rather than tracking how replacement activities affect the condition. 

“We found that reducing TV-watching time by 60 minutes and reallocating it to other activities decreased the likelihood of developing major depression by 11 percent,” said Palazuelos-González. 

“For 90- and 120-minute reallocations, this decrease in likelihood goes up to 25.91 percent.” 

Middle-aged people benefit more from watching less 

The benefits for middle-aged people who replace TV-watching with other activities are especially pronounced. Among this demographic, reallocating 60 minutes daily from TV-watching to other activities decreased the probability of developing depression by 18.8%. Reallocating 90 minutes resulted in decreased likelihood of 29%, and 120 minutes led to a reduction of 43%. 

All reallocations of TV-watching time to specific activities were associated with reduced depression risk, except for reallocating only 30 minutes to household activities, which did not yield a significant effect. When reallocating 30 minutes specifically to sports, the reduction was 18%; to work/school physical activities, 10.2%; to leisure/commute activities, 8%; and to sleep, 9%. Time reallocations to sports, at any given duration, resulted in the largest reductions in the probability of major depression onset compared to all other activities. 

Fewer comparable benefits for older adults and young adults 

In older adults, reallocating TV-watching time proportionally to other activities did not lead to statistically significant reductions in onset of depression. Only substituting TV-watching time with sports reduced the probability of becoming depressed, from 1.01 to 0.71% with 30 minutes, 0.63% with 60 minutes, and 0.56% with 90 minutes. 

In young adults, reallocating TV-watching time to one or multiple movement activities did not significantly change the likelihood of them developing depression. However, this group is also more physically active than older age groups – the researchers suggest that they may have already surpassed the physical activity threshold that is protective against depression.  

This research was developed using a population-based cohort study (a Dutch initiative named ‘Lifelines’) with a four-year follow-up, which included 65 454 non-depressed adults. Patterns across age groups were examined carefully. Participants self-reported time spent in active commuting, leisure, sports, household, physical-related activities at work or school, TV-watching, and sleep. Major depressive disorder was assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. 

Source: EurekAlert!

Categories : Exercise Mental HealthTags :

Exercise to Treat Depression Yields Similar Results to Therapy and Antidepressants

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Researchers found that exercise can have a moderate benefit in reducing depressive symptoms, comparable to therapy and antidepressants

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Exercise may reduce symptoms of depression to a similar extent as psychological therapy, according to an updated Cochrane review. When compared with antidepressant medication, exercise also showed a similar effect, but the evidence was of low certainty.  

Depression is a leading cause of ill health and disability, affecting over 280 million people worldwide. Exercise is low-cost, widely available, and comes with additional health benefits, making it an attractive option for patients and healthcare providers.

The review, conducted by researchers from the University of Lancashire, and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration North-West Coast (ARC NWC), examined 73 randomised controlled trials including nearly 5000 adults with depression. The studies compared exercise with no treatment or control interventions, as well as with psychological therapies and antidepressant medications.

The results show that exercising can have a moderate benefit on reducing depressive symptoms, compared with no treatment or a control intervention. When compared with psychological therapy, exercise had a similar effect on depressive symptoms, based on moderate-certainty evidence from ten trials. Comparisons with antidepressant medication also suggested a similar effect, but the evidence is limited and of low certainty. Long-term effects are unclear as few studies followed participants after treatment.  

Side effects were rare, including occasional musculoskeletal injuries for those exercising and typical medication-related effects for those taking antidepressants, such as fatigue and gastrointestinal problems.

“Our findings suggest that exercise appears to be a safe and accessible option for helping to manage symptoms of depression,” said Professor Andrew Clegg, lead author of the review. “This suggests that exercise works well for some people, but not for everyone, and finding approaches that individuals are willing and able to maintain is important.”

The review found that light to moderate intensity exercise may be more beneficial than vigorous exercise, and that completing between 13 and 36 exercise sessions of light to moderate intensity exercise was associated with greater improvements in depressive symptoms.

No single type of exercise was clearly superior, although mixed exercise programmes and resistance training appeared more effective than aerobic exercise alone. Some forms of exercise, such as yoga, qigong and stretching, were not included in the analysis and represent areas for future research. Long-term effects are unclear as few studies followed participants after treatment.  

This update adds 35 new trials to previous versions of this Cochrane review published in 2008 and 2013, which were supported by the NIHR. Despite the additional evidence, the overall conclusions remain largely unchanged. This is because the majority of trials were small, with fewer than 100 participants, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions.  

“Although we’ve added more trials in this update, the findings are similar,” said Professor Clegg. “Exercise can help people with depression, but if we want to find which types work best, for who and whether the benefits last over time, we still need larger, high-quality studies. One large, well-conducted trial is much better than numerous poor quality small trials with limited numbers of participants in each.” 

By Mia Parkinson

Source: Cochrane

Categories : ExerciseTags :

Five Extra Minutes of Movement a Day can Save Lives, Lancet Study Finds

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Just five extra minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a day or sitting half an hour less could make a measurable difference for public health, according to a new study published in The Lancet.

Researchers analysed data from more than 135 000 adults in Norway, Sweden, USA, and the UK to understand how small, realistic changes in daily habits affect mortality. Using device-measured physical activity, the team estimated how many deaths could be prevented if people moved a little more or spent less time sitting.

The findings suggest that even modest changes matter. For the least active individuals, adding just five minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day could prevent about 6% of deaths. When applied across the population – excluding the most active – this figure rises to 10%.

Reducing sedentary time also showed benefits, though smaller. Sitting 30 minutes less each day could prevent around three percent of deaths among the least active and seven percent across the population. 

Maria Hagströmer, professor at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society. Photo: Ulf Sirborn.

“These results show that small steps can have a large impact,” says Maria Hagströmer, professor at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society and co-author of the study. “You don’t need to run marathons—just a few extra minutes of brisk walking each day can make a difference.”

Ing-Mari Dohrn, docent at the same department and also a co-author of the study, adds: “Our study focuses on realistic changes. For many people, reducing sitting time or adding short bouts of activity is more achievable than large lifestyle modifications.”

The researchers emphasise that these changes are not a substitute for regular exercise but highlight how small adjustments can contribute to better health at the population level.

Source: Karolinska Institutet

Categories : Exercise Metabolic DisordersTags :

Weightlifting Beats Running for Glycaemic Control, Researchers Find

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Study shows that resistance training outperforms endurance exercise in improving insulin sensitivity in obesity and Type 2 diabetes models.

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Running may help burn calories, but when it comes to preventing diabetes and obesity, pumping iron might have the edge, according to preclinical findings from Virginia Tech scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.

The research, published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, compared the effects of endurance and resistance exercise in mice fed a high-fat diet, a widely used model of obesity, hyperglycaemia, and Type 2 diabetes.

A team led by exercise medicine researcher Zhen Yan found that while both running and weightlifting helped the body clear excess sugar from the blood, resistance training was more effective in reducing subcutaneous and visceral fat, improving glucose tolerance, and lowering insulin resistance – key factors in preventing and managing diabetes.

“We all want to live a long, healthy life,” said Prof Yan, director of the Center for Exercise Medicine Research. “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.” 

But while both support metabolic function, a rigorous side-by-side comparison was lacking. Is one type of exercise better than the other? 

What they did

To conduct the first direct, controlled comparison, members of the research team built something that had not previously existed: a mouse model of weightlifting.

In this model, mice lived in specially designed cages where food was accessed through a hinged, weighted lid. To eat, the mice had to lift the lid while wearing a small shoulder collar, causing a squat-like movement that engaged the muscle contractions people use during resistance exercise. The load was gradually increased over several days, mimicking progressive strength training.

For the endurance group, mice were given open access to a running wheel, an established model of aerobic exercise. Control groups included sedentary mice on either a normal or high-fat diet.

Over eight weeks, the researchers monitored weight gain, body composition, and fat distribution. They tested exercise capacity with treadmill runs, assessed heart and muscle function, and measured how well the mice regulated blood sugar. They also analyzed skeletal muscle tissue to study insulin signaling at the molecular level.

Using their novel model of resistance exercise, team members were able to directly compare how the two training styles affect obesity, blood glucose, and insulin sensitivity in a way that closely mirrors human exercise.

“Our data showed that both running and weightlifting reduce fat in the abdomen and under the skin and improve blood glucose maintenance with better insulin signaling in skeletal muscle,” Yan said. “Importantly, weightlifting outperforms running in these health benefits.”

Why this matters

Diabetes and obesity are major public health challenges, fuelled by sedentary lifestyles and high-fat diets. The findings underscore decades of clinical trials showing that endurance, resistance, and high-intensity interval training all reduce HbA1c while also lowering body mass index, blood pressure, and improving quality of life.

The new Virginia Tech study, which also involves collaborators from the University of Virginia, helps fill a critical gap by directly comparing voluntary running and weightlifting in a controlled, preclinical model of diet-induced obesity.

“The findings also bring good news for people who, for any number of reasons, cannot engage in endurance-type exercise,” Yan said. “Weight training has equal, if not better, anti-diabetes benefits.”

The researchers also saw changes in skeletal muscle signaling pathways that could inform new drug therapies for Type 2 diabetes.

Interestingly, the benefits of resistance training were not explained by changes in muscle mass or exercise performance, suggesting unique metabolic mechanisms at play.

Yan said the study underscores the idea that, while popular drug interventions like GLP-1 agonists can help with diabetes management and weight loss, they do not replace the unique, accessible, and comprehensive benefits of a well-balanced exercise programme. 

“The take-home message is that you should do both endurance and resistance exercise, if possible, to get the most health benefit,” said Yan, who is also a professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. 

Source: Virginia Tech

Categories : Exercise GenderTags :

Gender Equality Universally Linked to Physical Capacity

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Fitness amongst young adults varies widely from one country to another, and is strongly associated with both socioeconomic development and gender equality, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science reports. The results indicate that levels of development and gender equality in a society can affect differences in physical capacity and therefore public health in general.

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is an important factor of health and life-expectancy. For this present study, researchers systematically reviewed data from 95 studies in 24 countries involving a total of over 119 000 adult participants.  

CRF is measured by what is known as the VO2peak, which is the highest oxygen uptake a body achieves during physical exertion.  

The group, which included researchers from KI and Shanghai University of Sport, studied correlations between CRF, the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Gender Inequality Index (GII).  

HDI is a measure of societal parameters like education, income and life-expectancy, while GII reflects differences between women and men in terms of health, education and labour. 

Clear correlation in women 

The results show that people in countries with a higher HDI were, on average, fitter, a correlation that was particularly salient amongst women, where young women in countries with a medium HDI had a higher VO2peak than women in countries with a low HDI (31.2 versus 28.5mL/kg/min). However, a further HDI increase from medium to high gave only small improvements. 

“Our results suggest that societal structures impact greatly on people’s access to exercise and thus their fitness levels,” says the study’s lead author Nicolas Pillon, researcher at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, KI. 

The study also shows that higher gender equality (a lower GII) correlates with a higher level of fitness in both women and men. Again, the difference was the most notable amongst young women, who in countries with high gender equality had on average a 6.5mL/kg/min higher VO2peak than their peers in countries with low gender equality. 

“Our results underpin the importance of societal interventions and guidelines that reduce social and gender-related hindrances to physical exercise but point out that more research is needed from countries with a lower HDI, and on the obstacles facing different ethnic and socioeconomic communities,” says Barbara Ainsworth, researcher at Shanghai University of Sport and head of the study. 

Source: Karolinska Institutet