New Study Suggests High-Fat Diet May Improve Exercise Benefits When Blood Sugar Is High

New Delhi |10 March 2026 A recent study has offered a new perspective on the relationship between diet and exercise, suggesting that consuming more healthy fats instead of reducing them may help the body gain better benefits from physical activity when blood sugar levels are high. According to findings , researchers observed that certain dietary changes could improve how the body responds to exercise under conditions of high blood sugar. The research was led by exercise medicine scientist Sarah Lessard from Virginia Tech and was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. During the study, scientists placed mice with elevated blood sugar on a ketogenic diet, which is rich in fats and very low in carbohydrates. The results showed that the animals’ blood sugar levels returned to normal within a week. Lessard explained the outcome, saying, “After one week on the ketogenic diet, their blood sugar was completely normal, as though they didn’t have diabetes at all.” Researchers also noticed changes in the muscles of the animals over time. The muscles developed stronger oxidative properties and responded more effectively to aerobic exercise. Mice that followed the ketogenic diet and regularly exercised showed an increase in slow-twitch muscle fibres, which are linked to better endurance and improved oxygen use during physical activity. The ketogenic diet works by shifting the body into a state known as ketosis, where fat becomes the main source of energy instead of sugar. Although the diet remains a topic of debate, it has been associated with certain medical benefits, including treatment for neurological conditions and earlier methods of managing diabetes. Lessard highlighted the importance of combining lifestyle habits, saying, “What we’re really finding is that diet and exercise aren’t simply working in isolation,” and added, “There are a lot of combined effects, and we can get the most benefits from exercise if we eat a healthy diet at the same time.” Researchers now plan to study whether similar results can be observed in Study Finds High-Fat Diet May Improve Exercise Benefits When Blood Sugar Is High A new study suggests that eating more healthy fats instead of reducing them may help the body gain better benefits from exercise when blood sugar levels are high. The research, reported by ScienceDaily, highlights how diet and physical activity may work together to improve metabolic health. The study was led by scientist Sarah Lessard from Virginia Tech and published in Nature Communications. Researchers placed mice with high blood sugar on a ketogenic diet, which is high in fat and very low in carbohydrates. Lessard explained the result, saying, “After one week on the ketogenic diet, their blood sugar was completely normal, as though they didn’t have diabetes at all.” Scientists also observed that the muscles of the mice adapted over time. The animals developed more slow-twitch muscle fibres, which are linked to better endurance and improved oxygen use during exercise. This change helped the body respond more effectively to aerobic activity. The ketogenic diet works by pushing the body into a state called ketosis, where fat becomes the main energy source instead of sugar. Lessard emphasised the combined role of lifestyle choices, saying, “What we’re really finding is that diet and exercise aren’t simply working in isolation,” and added, “There are a lot of combined effects, and we can get the most benefits from exercise if we eat a healthy diet at the same time.”