Mixed
Regular physical activity improves metabolic flexibility by enhancing substrate switching and energy expenditure, whereas calorie restriction alone improves insulin sensitivity but fails to restore metabolic flexibility.
If you have Type 2 Diabetes or fatty liver, simply losing weight through dieting will improve your insulin sensitivity, but it will not restore your body's ability to efficiently switch between burning fat and sugar (metabolic flexibility). To fix this specific metabolic defect and reduce the risk of liver and heart disease, you must engage in regular physical activity, as diet alone is insufficient for this mechanism.
Regular physical activity promotes metabolic flexibility by increasing energy expenditure and enabling efficient switching between different energy substrates, On the contrary, weight loss achieved through calorie restriction ameliorates insulin sensitivity without improving flexibility.
Why this rating
Narrative review citing multiple human studies and mechanistic pathways.
Source
Metabolic flexibility and insulin resistance
José E. Galgani et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2008
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