{"id":34677,"date":"2026-02-25T12:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T12:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=34677"},"modified":"2026-02-26T20:39:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T20:39:52","slug":"keto-diet-may-help-restore-exercise-benefits-in-people-with-high-blood-sugar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/keto-diet-may-help-restore-exercise-benefits-in-people-with-high-blood-sugar\/","title":{"rendered":"Keto Diet May Help Restore Exercise Benefits in People With High Blood Sugar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A Virginia Tech study in mice suggests a high-fat ketogenic diet can normalize blood sugar and restore key exercise benefits in the context of diabetes. The work highlights how diet and exercise may need to work together to protect the heart, muscles and metabolism.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>For people with high blood sugar, the usual advice to exercise more does not always deliver the expected health payoff. Now, new research from Virginia Tech suggests that changing what is on the plate \u2014 not just how often someone works out \u2014 could help restore some of exercise\u2019s most important benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a study of mice with high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, a high-fat ketogenic diet not only brought blood sugar levels back to normal but also made the animals\u2019 muscles respond better to aerobic exercise. The findings, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-026-69349-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the journal <em>Nature Communications<\/em>, point to a potential way to help people with diabetes or prediabetes get more out of their workouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lead researcher Sarah Lessard, an associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC&#8217;s Center for Exercise Medicine Research, studies how diet and exercise interact to shape blood sugar control and muscle function. Her team has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s42255-020-0240-7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">previously shown<\/a> that people with high blood sugar often have lower exercise capacity and do not improve their ability to use oxygen as much as expected, even when they stick to an exercise program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is a serious problem, because the body\u2019s ability to take in and use oxygen efficiently during exercise \u2014 known as aerobic capacity \u2014 is one of the strongest predictors of long-term health and lifespan. People with high blood sugar are already at greater risk for heart and kidney disease, and a blunted response to exercise can leave them doubly vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the new study, Lessard and colleagues asked whether a ketogenic diet could change that equation. A ketogenic, or keto, diet is very high in fat and very low in carbohydrates. It pushes the body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where fat rather than sugar becomes the main fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The approach is controversial because it runs counter to decades of low-fat dietary advice. Yet keto has a long medical history. Before insulin was discovered in the 1920s, it was used to help manage diabetes by lowering blood sugar. Today, versions of the diet are used for conditions such as epilepsy and are being explored for other neurological diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this experiment, hyperglycemic male mice were fed a high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet and given access to running wheels for exercise. Lessard noted the changes in blood sugar were rapid and dramatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAfter one week on the ketogenic diet, their blood sugar was completely normal, as though they didn&#8217;t have diabetes at all,\u201d Lessard said in a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the study went on, the researchers saw deeper changes inside the animals\u2019 muscles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> \u201cOver time, the diet caused remodeling of the mice\u2019s muscles, making them more oxidative and making them react better to aerobic exercise,\u201d Lessard added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In practical terms, that meant the mice developed more slow-twitch muscle fibers \u2014 the type that supports endurance \u2014 and became better at using oxygen during activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTheir bodies were more efficiently using oxygen, which is a sign of higher aerobic capacity,\u201d added Lessard.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those shifts are important because they suggest that, at least in this animal model, a ketogenic diet can restore the muscle\u2019s ability to adapt to exercise, even in the context of high blood sugar. Instead of exercise benefits being blocked by hyperglycemia, the diet appeared to reopen the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The work also reinforces a broader message emerging from Lessard\u2019s lab and others: diet and exercise are deeply intertwined, and their effects on health cannot be fully separated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat we&#8217;re really finding from this study and from our other studies is that diet and exercise aren&#8217;t simply working in isolation,\u201d Lessard added. \u201cThere are a lot of combined effects, and so we can get the most benefits from exercise if we eat a healthy diet at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study was done in mice, so it does not prove that the same results will occur in people. Lessard emphasized that the next step is to test whether similar benefits appear in human volunteers with high blood sugar who adopt a ketogenic diet and exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the results translate, the work could eventually help doctors tailor diet-and-exercise prescriptions so that patients with diabetes or prediabetes gain more protection for their hearts, muscles and metabolism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, Lessard noted that a strict ketogenic diet is difficult for many people to follow over the long term. It typically requires cutting out most carbohydrate-rich foods, including many fruits, whole grains and starchy vegetables, and carefully tracking fat intake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of that, she is also interested in whether less restrictive eating patterns could deliver similar benefits when combined with exercise. One candidate is the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil and fish. That style of eating can help keep blood sugar lower while still allowing unprocessed carbohydrate sources, rather than eliminating carbs altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lessard\u2019s earlier work suggests that the exact diet may matter less than achieving good blood sugar control in a way that a person can sustain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur previous studies have shown that any strategy you and your doctor have arrived at to reduce your blood sugar could work,\u201d added Lessard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For now, the new mouse data add to a growing body of evidence that the right combination of diet and exercise may unlock health gains that neither can fully provide alone. For people living with high blood sugar, the research offers a hopeful message: with the right metabolic support, their bodies may be able to reclaim more of the powerful benefits of moving more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/news.vt.edu\/articles\/2026\/02\/research_fralinbiomed_lessardketo.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Virginia Tech study in mice suggests a high-fat ketogenic diet can normalize blood sugar and restore key exercise benefits in the context of diabetes. The work highlights how diet and exercise may need to work together to protect the heart, muscles and metabolism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[294],"class_list":["post-34677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-food-nutrition","tag-virginia-tech"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A Virginia Tech study in mice suggests a high-fat ketogenic diet can normalize blood sugar and restore key exercise benefits in the context of diabetes. The work highlights how diet and exercise may need to work together to protect the heart, muscles and metabolism.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34677"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34712,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34677\/revisions\/34712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}