Walking combined with a healthy diet: A formula for stabilizing blood sugar.

However, people with high blood sugar levels often do not reap these benefits, as elevated blood sugar can hinder the muscles' ability to absorb oxygen.

The good news is that research recently published in the scientific journal Nature Communications has found some great tips to maximize the benefits of exercise, especially aerobic exercises such as walking, running, cycling, and swimming.

Scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University (USA), conducted experiments on mice with hyperglycemia to examine the impact of diet on exercise performance.

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In the study, the mice were divided into two groups:

• The standard diet group is rich in carbohydrates.
• The keto diet is high in fat and low in carbohydrates.

Both groups trained by regularly running on an exercise wheel.

The results showed that after just one week, the mice fed a high-fat keto diet had reduced levels of high blood sugar. Their bodies also became more responsive to exercise.

The study's author, Associate Professor Sarah Lessard of the Fralin Institute for Biomedical Research at Virginia Polytechnic University, said that after just one week on a keto diet, the mice's blood sugar levels were completely normal, as if they had never had diabetes, according to the science news site Sciencedaily.

Over time, the keto diet can restructure muscles, helping mice on this diet respond better to exercise and improving their body's oxygen utilization—an indicator of long-term health and longevity.

Researchers explain that high blood sugar often hinders the muscles' ability to absorb more oxygen. The keto diet shifts the body from using sugar to burning fat as its primary fuel source, normalizing blood sugar levels and allowing muscles to use oxygen more efficiently, leading to higher aerobic exercise performance.

The research team concluded: The best way to maximize the benefits of aerobic exercises like walking and jogging is to combine them with a diet that helps control blood sugar, according to Sciencedaily.

Besides the keto diet, experts say the Mediterranean diet can also yield similar results.

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What is a high-fat keto diet?

Following a keto diet is the most effective way to achieve ketosis. This is a metabolic state in which the body uses fat as its primary fuel instead of carbohydrates.

The high-fat keto diet focuses on healthy fats (making up 70-80% of total calories), with moderate protein intake (around 10-20%) and restricted carbohydrates (only 10-20%).

Specifically, the keto diet includes:

• Limit your carbohydrate intake to around 20-50 grams per day.
• Supplement your diet with plenty of healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts, avocados, etc.
• Small amounts of meat, fish, and eggs.
• Vegetables that do not contain starch.