Weightlifting beats running for blood sugar control, researchers find (2025)
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Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC 的研究人员发现，对于控制血糖以及应对与肥胖和 2 型糖尿病相关的问题，力量训练可能比跑步更有效。虽然这两种运动的健康益处早已得到认可，但本研究提供了罕见的并列比较，以判断哪种运动在代谢改善方面更占优势。
为开展这项研究，团队建立了一种独特的小鼠阻力训练模型。小鼠被安置在必须抬起加重盖子才能获取食物的笼中，这一动作类似蹲起，研究者还能随时间逐步增加负重。该组直接与可以使用跑轮的耐力组进行对照，对照组则保持不活动。
发表在 Journal of Sport and Health Science 的结果显示，尽管跑步和力量训练都能帮助清除血液中过量的糖分，但力量训练在减少皮下脂肪和内脏脂肪方面更为显著。此外，力量训练在改善葡萄糖耐量和降低胰岛素抵抗方面的效果也更强。这一发现尤为重要，因为它表明力量训练的代谢益处并不依赖于肌肉量的变化。
这项研究填补了我们在运动医学领域的一个关键空白，证明力量训练是改善代谢健康的高效且可能更优的手段。对于那些难以进行耐力性运动但仍希望提高胰岛素敏感性并长期控制血糖的人来说，这是一种可行的替代方案。
研究作者最后强调，尽管力量训练对抗糖尿病具有显著益处，但总体健康的理想方式仍是将耐力训练与力量训练相结合。研究团队指出，这些发现也可为新药物疗法的开发提供参考，尽管他们认为没有任何药物能够完全替代均衡运动计划所带来的全面且易获得的好处。
Researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have discovered that weightlifting may be more effective than running for managing blood sugar and addressing issues related to obesity and Type 2 diabetes. While both forms of exercise are well-established for their health benefits, this study provided a rare side-by-side comparison to determine which might offer superior metabolic improvements.
To conduct this investigation, the team developed a unique mouse model of resistance training. Mice were placed in cages where they had to lift weighted lids to access food, a process that required a squat-like movement and allowed researchers to increase the load progressively over time. This approach was directly contrasted with an endurance group that had access to running wheels, while control groups remained sedentary.
The results, published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, indicated that while both running and weightlifting helped clear excess sugar from the blood, resistance training was more successful in reducing both subcutaneous and visceral fat. Additionally, weightlifting showed a stronger impact on improving glucose tolerance and lowering insulin resistance. These findings are particularly significant because they suggest that the metabolic benefits of strength training occur independently of changes in muscle mass.
This research fills a critical gap in our understanding of exercise medicine by demonstrating that resistance training is a highly effective, and potentially superior, tool for metabolic health. It offers a hopeful alternative for individuals who may struggle with endurance-based activities but still wish to improve their insulin sensitivity and long-term blood sugar control.
Ultimately, the study authors emphasize that while weightlifting provides exceptional anti-diabetes benefits, the ideal approach for overall health remains a combination of both endurance and resistance training. The team noted that these insights could also help guide the development of new drug therapies, although they maintain that no medication can fully replicate the comprehensive, accessible advantages provided by a balanced exercise program.
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该研究让经过训练的小鼠举起加重的盖子以获取食物，作为一种用于调节血糖的渐进式抗阻训练模型。有人对研究设计提出质疑：观察到的效应究竟源自真实的举重运动，还是仅仅因为进食前必须活动这一时间安排所致。
肌肉作为葡萄糖的"汇"，会从血液中摄取并消耗糖分，这为力量训练有助于血糖控制提供了明确的生物学机制。与此同时，动物研究经常受到批评：结果难以复制、被当作掠夺性期刊的填充内容，或作为获得研究经费的工具，而非产生可直接转化为人类健康见解的证据。
对任何锻炼计划而言，能否坚持比选择哪一种运动更重要，因为持续性是大多数人面临的主要障碍。力量训练对长期活动能力、骨骼健康和预防伤害尤其重要，能够提供纯粹有氧运动（如骑行或跑步）可能缺乏的益处。心血管 / 有氧运动在血糖管理上仍然有效，尤其是在动员大肌群时；但有些人发现举重作为长期习惯更易坚持。
连续血糖监测设备（CGM）已成为自我试验的流行工具，允许个人实时观察饮食和运动对自身血糖的影响。不过，生理差异（例如在出现血糖峰值之前就存在的胰岛素抵抗）意味着单靠监测血糖并不能全面反映代谢健康。开展大规模人体随机对照试验的难度，常常迫使研究者依赖代理数据，例如小规模动物研究或来自人群的纵向观察数据。
总体讨论反映出一种广泛共识：肌肉量和运动对代谢健康与血糖调控至关重要，但依赖小鼠模型来制定人类锻炼建议常被夸大，且受到学术激励的驱动。与会者强调，所谓"最佳"锻炼最终是个人能够长期坚持的那一种，因为久坐的风险最大。大家反复强烈建议将抗阻训练纳入日常，以支持活动能力和长期健康，即便是偏好有氧活动的人也应如此。尽管血糖监测等数字工具能为部分人提供有用反馈，但社区对于这些工具在健康个体中的效用仍存在分歧，许多人认为需要更严格、更长期的人体研究来理清新陈代谢与体能之间的复杂关系。 • The study uses mice trained to lift weighted lids to access food, framing this as a model for progressive resistance training to regulate blood sugar.
• Skepticism exists regarding the study's design, specifically whether the results stem from actual weightlifting or simply the mandatory timing of movement before feeding.
• Muscles function as glucose sinks that naturally drain sugar from the bloodstream, providing a clear biological mechanism for why strength training benefits blood sugar control.
• Animal-based research often faces criticism for being non-replicable, serving as filler for predatory journals, or functioning as a vehicle for grant acquisition rather than generating actionable human health insights.
• Adherence to any exercise regimen is significantly more important for health than the specific type chosen, as consistency is the primary barrier for most individuals.
• Strength training is particularly valuable for long-term mobility, bone health, and injury prevention, offering benefits that pure cardiovascular exercise—like cycling or running—may lack.
• Cardiovascular exercise remains effective for blood sugar management, especially when engaging large muscle groups, though some individuals find weightlifting to be more sustainable as a long-term habit.
• Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) have become a popular tool for self-experimentation, allowing individuals to observe the real-time impact of diet and exercise on their personal blood sugar levels.
• Physiological individual differences, such as insulin resistance that predates blood sugar spikes, mean that monitoring glucose alone may not capture the full picture of metabolic health.
• The difficulty of conducting large-scale human randomized controlled trials often forces reliance on proxy data, such as smaller-scale animal studies or longitudinal observational data from human populations.
The discussion reflects a broad consensus that while muscle mass and exercise are critical for metabolic health and blood sugar regulation, the reliance on mouse models for human exercise recommendations is frequently overstated and driven by academic incentives. Participants emphasize that the "best" exercise is ultimately the one an individual can perform consistently, as sedentary lifestyles pose the greatest risk. There is a strong, recurring advocacy for integrating resistance training to support mobility and long-term health, even among those who prefer aerobic activities like running or cycling. While digital tools like glucose monitors provide useful feedback for some, the community remains divided on their utility for healthy individuals versus the need for more rigorous, long-term human studies to untangle the complex variables of metabolism and fitness.