Khaberni - A laboratory study showed that weightlifting provides better control of blood sugar levels compared to running.
In the experiment conducted on mice, weightlifting reduced dangerous visceral fat around the organs, while running uniquely increased brown fat that burns calories.
According to the research team from the University of Virginia, the metabolic benefits arose from changes inside muscle cells rather than from muscle growth.
As per "Study Finds", this research adds to the growing evidence that resistance training deserves more attention in discussions about metabolic health.
The experiment
Scientists developed a new weightlifting system for this study. The mice wore small collars, and had to lift a weighted cage cover resembling a squat motion to reach their food.
The weight started at 100% of each mouse’s body weight, increased by 20% daily until it reached 240% of the body weight, and remained stable throughout the study duration. The average weightlifting for the mice was 231 lifts per day.
The mice that ran had access to voluntary running wheels, covering about 10.5 kilometers daily. The importance of the voluntary nature of both exercise models reflects how humans choose to exercise rather than being forced to.
3 signs
After 8 weeks, researchers measured several indicators of metabolic health.
In the first test, called HOMA-IR, which measures insulin sensitivity, the weightlifting mice scored improvements, while the running mice showed no significant improvement in this measure.
During the glucose tolerance test, researchers injected the mice with sugar and measured how quickly blood glucose levels returned to normal.
The weightlifting mice cleared glucose faster than inactive mice, while the running mice only showed partial improvement.
The third test involved insulin injection and measuring blood sugar response. Weightlifting once again showed stronger benefits than running in enhancing insulin sensitivity across the whole body.
