To Your Health
August, 2020 (Vol. 14, Issue 08)
Share |

Don't Sabotage Your Aerobic Fitness

By Editorial Staff

All that aerobic exercise you used to be doing at the gym – and hopefully have been doing outdoors or at home since COVID-19 restrictions took effect – may not be yielding the benefit it should if your diet is still in the dumps.

In fact, a diet that features too many refined carbohydrates, sugars and other high glycemic index foods (all of which keep your blood glucose levels high) can actually sabotage your aerobic program.

Here's how: Increased blood sugar levels ("hyperglycemia") may decrease the benefits of aerobic exercise, suggests new research.  Published in Nature Metabolism, the study found that when young adult volunteers ingested glucose (sugar), participants who displayed impaired glucose tolerance (a condition reflected by higher blood sugar levels) also had the lowest aerobic exercise capacity. In other words, even when performing aerobic exercise, they were unable to increase their exercise capacity compared to young adults with lower blood sugar levels. The researchers suggest this may have occurred because participants' muscles did not adapt to aerobic activity as they normally would.

It's often said that a sound diet and consistent exercise go hand in hand, and this study proves it. If you want to get the most out of your aerobic exercise, don't sabotage it by eating poorly. Click here to learn how to keep your blood sugar in the safe range (which won't just benefit your aerobic exercise efforts, but will also reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and other health issues).

exercise - Copyright – Stock Photo / Register Mark