Myth: Endurance exercises may help treat type 2 diabetes.
Truth:
This is true.
Previous studies have found that lower levels of surfactant protein D (SP-D) have decreased type 2 diabetes and are positively associated with insulin sensitivity and negatively associated with obesity. However, the exact mechanisms of this possible association had been unclear.
SP-D is a lung-specific protein, and since previous studies have proposed that a decline in lung function may be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, researchers sought to determine if decreasing SP-D levels would also lower obesity, inflammation, and insulin resistance.
A study published in Diabetology and Metabolic Syndrome in September 2017 found that endurance exercises, a common method of treating type 2 diabetes, did induce a significant reduction in levels of surfactant protein D (SP-D) in patients with type 2 diabetes. This was the first study to examine the relationship between SP-D levels, endurance exercise, and diabetes and the findings have important implications for diabetic research.
Reference
- Rezaei S, Shamsi MM, Mahdavi M, et al. Endurance exercise training decreased serum levels of surfactant protein D and improved aerobic fitness of obese women with type-2 diabetes. Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2017;9:74. Published 2017 Sep 25. doi:10.1186/s13098-017-0273-6
