How Cardio Can Help Cure Diabetes

It is no secret that type 2 diabetes and obesity are increasing all over the world. Currently, the way that we treat these two health issues is not suitable for all patients, so researchers and physicians are constantly on the lookout for other ways to combat these problems. 

One promising therapeutic remedy is a naturally produced hormone called Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). It is so promising, in fact, that there are currently gene therapy trials and animal studies going on where mice are being fattened up and then given a boost of FGF21 with surprisingly great results. But these trials are far from being available to the general public (or even tested on humans).

What Is FGF21?

FGF21 is what is called a secreted protein which has been shown to behave like a metabolic regulator. That means it plays a large role in controlling things like glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, and even ketogenesis. The liver is considered the main site of FGF21 production and from there it is released into the blood.

Cardio exercise training can cause up to three times as large an increase in the hormone FGF21 than strength training can.

Well, a new research study at the University of Copenhagen just discovered that there is an easier way to boost FGF21 than by becoming an obese mouse or receiving gene therapy. In the new study titled Divergent effects of resistance and endurance exercise on plasma bile acids, FGF19, and FGF21 in humans, published in the scientific Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers showed that cardio exercise training (on an exercise bike) can cause up to three times as large an increase in the production of the hormone FGF21 than strength training with weights can.

The Study

The researchers studied 10 healthy young men, who were divided into two groups. The groups did two different workouts which were relatively hard and lasted 60 minutes. One workout was pure cardio which consisted of cycling at 70 percent of the test subject’s maximum oxygen intake (what I would call "comfortably uncomfortable"). The other workout was a strength training session that consisted of five exercises repeated ten times, focusing on the body's major muscle groups.

After each workout, eight blood samples were taken over a period of four hours. The researchers did this so they could measure biomarkers like blood sugar, lactic acid, hormones, and bile acid...

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