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Kids on the Move Even without weight loss, a moderate exercise regimen for adolescents shows progress in both lean and obese children 
Sedentary lifestyles have slowed down America's youth in more ways than one. All that time on the couch has increased waistlines and lowered sensitivity to insulin. Though not often discussed in relation to obesity and other health problems, desensitivity to insulin means the pancreas has to work overtime to produce enough to regulate blood sugar. Over time, too much work damages the pancreas and can lead to type 2 diabetes. Curious to see what would happen when the kids get off the couch, a team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, put both thin and obese adolescents on a 12-week plan of moderate aerobic exercise for 30 minutes four days a week. The results were profound: increased fitness and better sensitivity to insulin for the 29 subjects. "Many studies include both diet and exercise interventions, which makes it difficult to determine which intervention is most effective and best accepted by adolescents," says lead study author Dr. Agneta Sunehag. "Our findings show that exercise alone can increase fitness and improve insulin sensitivity, making an aerobic program like the one used in this study a potential useful tool in preventing obesity-related illnesses." The group was evenly split between lean and obese adolescents, who exercised on a bike, elliptical or treadmill for their sessions with the goal of getting their hearts to work at least 70 percent capacity. Blood sugar and insulin were measured before and after exercise. The study will be published in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), Chevy Chase, Md. |
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