Exercise increases effects of dieting for improving glucose control

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-06-27 01:00

International

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Coupling exercise with a weight-loss diet leads to greater improvement in insulin sensitivity and glucose control than dieting alone in people with obesity and prediabetes, according to international researchers. The team measured the insulin glucose sensitivity of 16 people on a specific diet designed to reduce their total body weight by 10% over 21 weeks. Eight of the people also followed an exercise regime involving six one-hour sessions per week, including a mixture of aerobic exercise, high-intensity interval training and resistance training. The study found that 10% weight loss in both groups improved insulin sensitivity, but that this improvement was two to four times greater after weight loss induced by diet and exercise together.

Media release

From: Springer Nature

Health: Exercise increases effects of dieting for improving glucose control

Coupling exercise with a diet-induced weight-loss intervention leads to greater improvement in insulin sensitivity and glucose control than dieting alone in people with obesity and prediabetes, according to a clinical trial published in Nature Metabolism.

Insulin-resistant glucose metabolism is commonly associated with obesity. Previous studies have shown that pairing exercise with diet can lead to improved therapeutic effects in individuals with obesity, reflected in increased weight loss and improved cardiometabolic health. However, the effects of this pairing on insulin sensitivity have been unclear.

Samuel Klein and colleagues provide evidence to support an additive effect of exercise alongside diet in improving insulin sensitivity in people with obesity and prediabetes, beyond what is improved by dietary weight loss alone. The study was designed so that all 16 participants would lose 10% of their total body weight over 18 to 21 weeks, so differences in insulin sensitivity were specific to an exercise intervention and not to differing weight loss. One group of participants (4 men and 4 women) underwent a diet-only intervention, including individual dietary education sessions and prepared meals following a plant-forward diet low in fat, sodium and refined carbohydrates, and high in complex carbohydrates. In the second group (2 men and 6 women) the dietary intervention was coupled with an exercise intervention that involved six one-hour exercise sessions per week, comprising a mixture of aerobic exercise, high-intensity interval training and resistance training. The data demonstrate that 10% weight loss in both groups improved insulin sensitivity, but that this improvement was two to four times greater (depending on the measure used) after weight loss induced by diet and exercise together.

The authors suggest that their findings highlight the importance of considering exercise as a key component when treating obesity.

Journal/
conference: Nature Metabolism

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Washington University, USA

Funder: See paper for full funding.

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