People with diabetes should mix aerobics with weight training to get the best results in lowering blood sugar, a new study suggests. The combination worked best for weight loss too, compared to aerobics or weight training alone.
Blood sugar is fuel to muscles, and more sugar is burned during aerobic activity. Weight training builds more muscle, and both activities change muscle proteins in ways that enhance the process.
"It's clear that doing both aerobic and strength training is superior to either alone," said lead author Dr. Tim Church of Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. "It's almost like taking two different drugs."
Patients in the study, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, achieved the results over nine months, exercising three days a week for about 45 minutes each session.
continued at USAToday.com>>
Blood sugar is fuel to muscles, and more sugar is burned during aerobic activity. Weight training builds more muscle, and both activities change muscle proteins in ways that enhance the process.
"It's clear that doing both aerobic and strength training is superior to either alone," said lead author Dr. Tim Church of Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. "It's almost like taking two different drugs."
Patients in the study, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, achieved the results over nine months, exercising three days a week for about 45 minutes each session.
continued at USAToday.com>>
