Research

Hormonal

Chronic exercise training (12 weeks, 4 days/week) increases skeletal muscle GLUT-4 protein levels and improves insulin-stimulated glucose disposal in older subjects with impaired glucose tolerance, independent of changes in body composition.

If you are older and have trouble processing sugar, consistent aerobic exercise (like cycling) 4 days a week for 3 months can significantly improve how your muscles use insulin and increase the amount of glucose transporters in your muscles. This happens even if you do not lose weight, meaning the metabolic benefits are distinct from weight loss.

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These findings demonstrate that chronic exercise training without changes in body composition improves peripheral insulin action in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. Skeletal muscle glycogen and GLUT-4 concentration increased 24 and 60%, respectively, with training.
Virginia Hughes et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 1993

Why this rating

Randomized controlled trial with objective biochemical measures (glucose clamp, immunoblotting) in a specific clinical population.

Source

Exercise increases muscle GLUT-4 levels and insulin action in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance

Virginia Hughes et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 1993

DOI 10.1152/ajpendo.1993.264.6.e855

rct · n=18Cited 299×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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