Adverse Effects of Sedentary Lifestyles: Inflammation, and High-Glucose Induced Oxidative Stress—A Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial on Diabetic and Prediabetic Patients

Abstract

Sedentary lifestyles promote adipose tissue accumulation that generates systemic inflammation and oxidative damage. Physical activity induces cardiovascular fitness, increases muscle mass, and healthy blood glucose regulation, while reducing visceral fat, triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins. It is theoretically possible to develop a long-term multi-exercise regimen for health management and enhancement. Pragmatically, time and career restraints, individual choices, genetic factors, or demoralization due to the draconian commitment involved in weight loss, have rendered over a billion of individuals obese, or overweight, burdened by excess lipids, insulin resistance, elevated glucose levels, and inflammation, that foster a number of medical conditions including diabetes. Strenuous overtraining has ensued adverse effects, including an upsurge of proinflammatory cytokines, and hyperglycemia. We implemented an one-month long innovative method with 20 diabetic and prediabetic patients. Results demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of both fasting and PP blood glucose. Fasting and PP insulin reached optimal levels. There was a substantial decline in dyslipidemia, reflecting a reverse relationship of elevated HDL versus triglycerides descending towards the normal range. The notable visceral fat reduction was validated by sonography reports that indicated no evidence of fatty liver in seven patients previously diagnosed with hepatic steatosis. These findings have important implications in improving the health status of obese diabetic and prediabetic individuals, by helping them jumpstart an active lifestyle, or by serving as an exercise alternative to reduce lipids, blood glucose levels and insulin resistance.