Weight Lifting Can Help Overweight Teens Reduce Risk of Diabetes

Physical exercise is a great preventative for a lot of sub-health conditions. Now there is evidence that it can be a benefit in avoiding diabetes as well!

Weight lifting can help overweight teens reduce risk of diabetes

“Teens at risk of developing diabetes can prevent or delay its onset through strength training exercise, a University of Southern California study has found. Research led by Michael Goran, PhD, professor of preventive medicine in the Keck School of Medicine of USC, showed that overweight Latino teenage boys who lifted weights twice per week for 16 weeks significantly reduced their insulin resistance, a condition in which their bodies don’t respond to insulin and can’t process sugars properly. Insulin resistance is common in obese children and is a precursor of diabetes. The findings were published in the July issue of Medicine and Science of Sports Exercise… The researchers chose to focus on Latino teens because they are at particular risk for diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about half of all Latino children born in 2000 are expected to develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime.”