Why people with diabetes get less benefit from aerobic exercise
Official title: Mechanisms for Impaired Adaptation to Aerobic Exercise with Metabolic Disease
Funded at Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ · NIH-11297253 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores why people with diabetes often gain less cardiorespiratory fitness from aerobic exercise and looks for ways to help their muscles adapt better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Blacksburg, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2020 |
| Project end | January 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $709,867 |
| NIH project number | 2R01DK124258-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11297253 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who have low cardiorespiratory fitness or who are engaged in aerobic exercise programs are the most relevant candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without metabolic disease or whose exercise limitations are primarily due to severe heart, lung, or orthopedic conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
If you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, this research aims to understand why your muscles sometimes fail to remodel and improve with aerobic training. The team studies how chronic high blood sugar affects muscle structure and signaling, focusing on extracellular matrix buildup and the JNK/SMAD2 pathway. They use a combination of animal models, tissue studies, and clinical observations to test approaches that could restore normal muscle adaptation. The goal is to turn those findings into treatment strategies or exercise guidance that improve fitness in people with diabetes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to treatments or exercise strategies that help people with diabetes increase fitness, muscle function, and long-term health.
How similar studies have gone: Previous clinical studies have linked high blood sugar to poorer fitness, but targeted methods to restore muscle remodeling in diabetes remain largely novel and unproven in humans.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
Blacksburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lessard, Sarah — Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
- Study coordinator: Lessard, Sarah
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.