Short burst of intense exercise could cut risk of diabetes

The research, carried out by James Timmons of Herriot Watt University, Edinburg, suggests that as little as four sessions of 30 second sprints on an exercise bike could cut the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

The study was published in the journal BMC Endocrine Disorders. Timmons looked at 16 men exercised for three sessions a week for two weeks. Each session was made up of 4 x 30 second sprints on an exercise bike. This involved the men going as fast as they could for 30 seconds and then taking a few minutes of complete rest between each sprint.

The research focused on the breakdown of glycogen, the fuel our muscles use during exercise. Exercise removes glycogen from the muscles and replaces it with glucose circulating in the blood. In this way, intense exercise could clear the blood of excess glucose.

Less intense exercise uses, but does not deplete, glycogen from the muscles. Only very intense exercise comes close to using up glycogen stores. Previous research has suggested that the greatest health benefits come from an exercise programme that includes interval training - short burst of very high intensity.

Further research is needed to see if this effect is sustainable and applies to everyone in the population.