I frequently wonder about what type of exercise I should be doing to benefit my health, whether I should be doing cardio, strength training, or a combination of both. I am mainly concerned with my blood sugar levels. I have a family history of diabetes, so it is important for me to know how I can prevent myself from developing it. I have tried various exercises and felt an increase in my metabolism. However, I want to know which type of exercise can optimize my health by preventing diabetes.
Luckily, researchers from the University of Copenhagen are one step closer to understanding how different types of exercise affect our health by studying different hormones. In their article published in August 2018 in the JCI Insight Journal, they studied the endocrine hormone, FGF21, bile acids (BAs), and the growth hormone, FGF19, and discovered surprising effects of cardio and strength exercises on the production of FGF21.
Diabetes is a condition with abnormally high levels of blood sugar. Complications of diabetes can effect vision, kidney function, and nerve function. Many hormones are involved in the regulation of blood sugar, including FGF21 which is produced by the liver. It plays an important role in the endocrine system, mediating sugar intake. It could potentially be a future treatment against diabetes and obesity.
The research group studied the effects of cardio and strength exercises on ten healthy men. They were randomly divided into two groups and were asked to do either cardio or strength exercises for one hour once a week. They tested hormones at various times before and after exercise. They found that cardio exercises produced far more FGF21 than strength exercises, which showed no significant change in the production of FGF21.
Hiking
By: Cristopher Hinagpis
Seeing how different types of exercise affected the body was interesting. This research excited me because it showed that cardio exercises produced more FGF21, which would increase the mediation of my sugar intake. However, the results from the strength training tests shocked me because I thought strength training would also increase FGF21 production.
Associate professor, Dr. Christoffer Clemmensen explained the results’ importance further, saying: “Endurance training on a bicycle has such a marked effect on the metabolic hormone that we know ought to take a closer look at whether this regulation of FGF21 is directly related to the health-improving effects of cardio exercise. FGF21’s potential as a drug against diabetes, obesity and similar metabolic disorders is currently being tested, so the fact that we are able to increase the production ourselves through training is interesting.”
Common symptoms of Diabetes
From: Wikimedia Commons
This information reveals that exercise is important for our health. Exercise can affect our hormone production. Although strength training did not positively affect hormone production, cardio training positively affected the production of FGF21. With more production of FGF21, our sugar intake will be better mediated. Thus, doing more cardio exercises can lead to improved health and reduced risk of developing conditions such as diabetes.
Gale Ladua
