Study says strength training more effective than running for obesity, diabetes treatment
People run at Hangang Park in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo District on Wednesday. Yonhap
Strength training that repeatedly contracts and relaxes muscles may be more effective than aerobic exercise such as running in treating obesity and diabetes, according to a new study.
A research team at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine recently published the findings in the Journal of Sport and Health Science.
For the experiment, researchers induced obesity and type 2 diabetes in mice by feeding them a high-fat diet, then divided them into a strength training group and an aerobic exercise group.
They built a “mouse-only strength training device” that required the animals to lift a weight to access food. Mice in the aerobic group were given free access to a running wheel.
After eight weeks, both exercise groups showed significantly reduced weight gain compared with mice that did not exercise. They also saw a reduction in fat mass and improvements in fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity.
The effects, however, were greater in the strength training group, including larger reductions in visceral and subcutaneous fat.
Their fasting glucose levels and insulin sensitivity also showed improvement. The aerobic group, by comparison, did not show improvements in insulin resistance.
One unexpected finding was that the strength training group did not see a major increase in muscle mass or enhanced physical performance. This suggests the benefits were not tied to bigger muscles. Instead, the team concluded that strength training may improve glucose control and insulin sensitivity by activating protein synthesis within muscle cells.
Lead researcher Zhen Yan said strength training shows effects “equal to or better than running” for diabetes prevention and glucose regulation.
“The key message is that combining aerobic and strength training produces the greatest health benefits,” he said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.