Resistance training improves insulin sensitivity more effectively than endurance exercise in diabetes models.
Running is well known for burning calories, but new preclinical research suggests that resistance training may be even more effective when it comes to reducing the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Findings from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC indicate that lifting weights produced stronger metabolic benefits than endurance exercise in an animal model.
The study , examined how endurance exercise and resistance exercise affect mice fed a high-fat diet. This diet is commonly used in research to model obesity, elevated blood sugar, and insulin resistance associated with type 2 diabetes.
Led by Virginia Tech exercise medicine researcher Zhen Yan, the team found that both running and weightlifting helped mice remove excess glucose from the bloodstream. However, resistance exercise led to larger reductions in both subcutaneous and visceral fat, better glucose tolerance, and greater improvements in insulin sensitivity. These outcomes are central to preventing and managing diabetes.
“We all want to live a long, healthy life,” said Yan, professor and director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC’s 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.”
Despite this, direct comparisons between the two exercise types had been limited. Researchers still lacked clear evidence showing whether one form of exercise offered stronger metabolic protection than the other.
