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_{Feb. 25, 2026}

Keto diet could unlock the effects of exercise for people with high blood sugar

To be healthy, conventional wisdom tells us to exercise and limit fatty foods. Exercise helps us lose weight and build muscle. It makes our hearts stronger and boosts how we take in and use oxygen for energy — one of the strongest predictors of health and longevity.

But people with high blood sugar often don’t achieve those benefits from exercise, especially the ability to use oxygen efficiently. They’re at higher risk for heart and kidney disease, but high blood sugar can prevent their muscles from taking up oxygen more effectively in response to exercise.

For them, a new study suggests the answer could be eating not less fat, but more.

The study by exercise medicine scientist Sarah Lessard, published Feb. 25 in Nature Communications, found that a high-fat, ketogenic diet reduced high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, in mice, and their bodies were more responsive to exercise.