Inactive adults
who add a few hours of exercise each week may cut their risk
of developing a pre-diabetic condition known as insulin resistance
syndrome, even if they don’t lose weight.
As the population
is eating more and exercising less, increasing numbers of
adults and children are developing the syndrome, which results
when a person loses the ability to use insulin effectively.
The syndrome can
develop into type 2 diabetes and increase the risk of heart
disease if left untreated.
To investigate
whether physical activity influences the risk of insulin resistance
syndrome, researchers followed 18 sedentary men and women
for six months. Participants exercised by walking for 30 minutes
between three and seven days a week and were told not to change
their diets or body weights.
At the end of the
study, researchers examined insulin sensitivity and levels
of blood fats, such as cholesterol.
It was found that
exercise with no weight loss increased insulin sensitivity.
According to researchers,
even modest amounts of exercise, without weight loss or loss
of abdominal fat, can improve indicators of glucose and fat
metabolism among inactive, middle-aged adults, a group that
is particularly at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes
Care March 26, 2003;26:557-562