Resistance exercise and muscle growth appear to positively affect insulin resistance, the underlying cause of diabetes, according to UCLA researchers. Nearly 24 million Americans -- 7.8 percent of the population -- are diabetic, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Some 1.6 million received a diabetes diagnosis in 2007 alone. Ample documentation details the benefits of exercise for diabetics. Strength training in particular seems to improve the quality of life for both those diagnosed with diabetes and those at risk of developing the disease.
Insulin Resistance
Over 90 percent of all diabetics in the U.S. have type 2 diabetes, characterized by gradual onset in later life, as opposed to type 1, which typically strikes children and young adults. Type 2 diabetics habitually lead a sedentary life and have either a family history of diabetes or previous history of gestational diabetes -- diabetes that manifests during pregnancy. Roughly 80 percent carry excess weight, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. In type 2 diabetes, although the pancreas continues to produce insulin -- the hormone necessary for cells to utilize glucose as fuel -- the body loses its ability to synthesize it properly, and insulin resistance results.
Sarcopenia
Sarcopenia -- the low muscle mass and low muscle strength typical of obese people -- appears to be a factor in type 2 diabetes development, according to a 2010 study published in the journal "PLoS ONE" by researchers at UCLA. A cross-sectional analysis of data derived from 14,528 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey associated sarcopenia with insulin resistance in obese diabetics and obese individuals, but also in non-obese people. The researchers concluded that thinness alone might not counteract type 2 diabetes. Muscle mass and strength appeared to be a deciding factor.
Myostatin
A protein known as myostatin -- which the muscles of extremely obese individuals produce -- seems to be connected to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes onset, according to kinesiology investigator Dustin Hittel, Ph.D., of the University of Calgary, Canada. Hittel's study, which he published in the January 2009 edition of the journal "Diabetes," showed that myostatin inhibits muscle growth in obese individuals. Hittel hypothesizes that insulin resistance makes muscles believe the body is starving, therefore it retards muscle growth to conserve energy. A loss of muscle mass often marks the transition from insulin resistance to type 2 diabetes. This research, according to Hittel, demonstrates the importance of muscle growth and resistance training for both obese people at risk for diabetes and those who already have it.
Significance
It is vital for diabetics, especially those with excess weight, to exercise, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, as exercise lowers blood sugar without medicines and lowers risk of heart problems. However, exercise includes resistance training as well as aerobic exercise such as swimming, running and biking.
Warnings
Diabetics with retinopathy -- diabetic eye disease -- may find that lifting heavy weight exacerbates their symptoms. Schedule an eye exam with your optometrist or eye-care specialist before you begin weight lifting. Diabetics whose blood sugar reads less than 100 mg/dl before starting exercise need to eat a snack first, and those whose blood sugar reads over 300 mg/dl need to avoid exercising until their levels decrease, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Speak to your doctor or health-care professional before you begin an exercise program if you have diabetes.
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