Why fit people don’t need much insulin to stay healthy
Influence of endurance training on central sympathetic outflow to skeletal muscle in response to a mixed meal.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Super fit people burn sugar better and their brains respond more strongly to insulin after eating — even though they make less insulin.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
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Max 90Cohort Studies
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Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
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Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Super fit people burn sugar better and their brains respond more strongly to insulin after eating — even though they make less insulin.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 545 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Authors
Young CN, Deo SH, Kim A, Horiuchi M, Mikus CR, Uptergrove GM, Thyfault JP, Fadel PJ
Related Content
Claims (6)
When people with normal insulin sensitivity consume glucose, their sympathetic nervous system becomes more active; in people with insulin resistance, the same glucose intake does not produce this increase.
Men who are endurance-trained show a significantly higher increase in nerve activity related to blood pressure regulation 120 minutes after eating, compared to men with average fitness, even though both groups have similar blood pressure changes.
Men who regularly do endurance exercise have 45% lower insulin levels after eating a meal than men with average fitness, even though their blood sugar levels rise similarly, suggesting their bodies use insulin more efficiently to manage glucose.
Men with high endurance fitness show a larger increase in nerve activity linked to insulin signaling after eating, compared to men with average fitness, suggesting their brains respond more strongly to insulin without changes in how muscles process insulin.
Men who train for endurance have similar blood sugar levels after eating as men with average fitness, but they produce less insulin. This suggests their bodies use insulin more efficiently, and this efficiency is not because they eat less carbs or different meals.