"What we're really finding from this study and from our other studies is that diet and exercise aren't simply working in isolation.” 

Conventional wisdom tells us that, to be healthy, we should exercise and limit fatty foods. Exercise helps us lose weight, build muscle, strengthens our hearts 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 enjoy those benefits from exercise, especially the ability to use oxygen efficiently.

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

Exercise medicine scientist Sarah Lessard explains her new study that examines how the keto diet might help people with diabetes and high blood sugar in the latest episode of Big Science Small Pod.

More about Sarah Lessard

Lessard is an associate professor at Virginia Tech's Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC in Roanoke. Her lab in the FBRI Center for Exercise Medicine Research workes to determine the molecular mechanisms behind the powerful clinical benefits of exercise in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. 

Visit the Lessard Lab

About "Big Science, Small Pod"

"Big Science, Small Pod" is a compact guide to the human body and how it works, powered by the world-class scientists of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. We ask fundamental questions about the human body, health, and disease, and get answers from research institute experts, who also tell us how their research illuminates these systems and how to better treat the diseases that affect them.

Listen and subscribe to "Big Science, Small Pod" on major podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

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