Recent studies show that consuming more fats may improve exercise performance, especially in people with hyperglycemia. High blood sugar levels can reduce the efficiency of oxygen uptake, which in turn makes it difficult to gain all the benefits from workouts.
In particular, studies claim that people with high blood sugar cannot fully utilize the benefits of physical activity, such as improved oxygen exchange. This is also associated with an increased risk of heart and kidney diseases.
New research suggests an alternative approach: instead of reducing fats, it may be worth considering increasing them.
Research led by Sarah Lessard, a specialist in sports medicine, and published on February 25 in the journal Nature Communications, analyzed how diet affects physical activity. Mice on a high-fat ketogenic diet showed reduced blood sugar levels and improved response to physical exertion.
“After a week on the ketogenic diet, their blood sugar normalized as if they had never had diabetes,” noted Lessard, who works at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. “Over time, this led to changes in muscle structure, making their muscles more oxidative and improving their response to aerobic exercise.”
The ketogenic diet, which is based on high fat and low carbohydrate content, differs from traditional low-fat diets recommended by many specialists.
Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet
Despite the debates about its application, the ketogenic diet is known for its positive effects on certain conditions, such as epilepsy and Parkinson's disease. Historically, it was used to treat diabetes before the advent of insulin in the 1920s.
Previous research by Lessard demonstrated that physical performance in people with high blood sugar is often reduced. This led to an investigation into the potential of the ketogenic diet to restore the body's adaptive capabilities to physical exertion.
As part of the study, mice were given a high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet and also regularly exercised on a running wheel, which resulted in an increase in the number of slow-twitch fibers in their muscles, associated with enhanced endurance.
“Their bodies became more efficient at using oxygen, indicating an improvement in aerobic endurance,” added Lessard.
Synergy of Diet and Exercise
Lessard emphasized that physical exercise positively affects all tissues in the body, including fat tissue. However, she stated that the best results are achieved when diet and physical activity are combined. “In our studies, we see that diet and exercise do not act in isolation,” she noted, adding that the combination of these factors allows for maximizing the benefits of training.
The researcher plans to expand her studies to include humans to determine whether the observed improvements are also sustained in them.
Lessard also noted that adhering to a ketogenic diet can be challenging. For many people, a more balanced approach, such as the Mediterranean diet, may be easier to maintain while still ensuring healthy blood sugar levels. This approach includes carbohydrates from natural sources like fruits and vegetables instead of completely eliminating carbohydrates.
“Our previous research has shown that any strategy you and your doctor develop to lower blood sugar can be effective,” she concluded.
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