Examining the effects on glucose tolerance from muscle-damaging “high intensity” exercise

A new study that has been published in an issue of the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine seeks to identify the gravity of muscle damage and blood glucose responses in people engaging in high-intensity exercise.

• This was done via an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) after eccentric training of 21 young study participants.
• Participants engaged in five 100-meter downhill sprints and 20 squats at 30 pounds weight load for three days, which caused a wide spectrum of muscle creatine kinase (CK) surges in plasma 48 hours following the last bout of exercise.
• The study participants were then grouped into two based on the magnitude of CK increases (low CK: +48 percent +- 0.3 and high CK: +137 percent +- 0.5, P < 0.05).
• Both groups manifested similar decreases in blood glucose levels in OGTT, showing that this muscle-damaging exercise doesn’t seem to decrease but rather boost glycemic control in men.

The researchers conclude that eccentric exercise does not decrease glucose tolerance but in fact boosts it. Improved glucose tolerance with CK increase attests to the beneficial effect of getting rid of metabolically weaker muscle fibers by eccentric exercise in the manner of the Darwinian law of natural selection.

Journal Reference:

Chien-Te Ho, Machiko Taka, Chia-Hua Kuo. IMPROVING GLUCOSE TOLERANCE BY MUSCLE-DAMAGING EXERCISE. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine; 7:2; DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.02.004