Sports supplement helps fight type 2 diabetes

Research at Southern Cross University (SCU) has found that a popular sports supplement may help in the fight against type 2 diabetes.

The disease, which is characterised by insulin resistance, is a result of various lifestyle and genetic factors. It can lead to many other chronic conditions.

Principal researcher Rhenan Nealon conducted a month-long pilot study on the effects of beta-alanine supplementation on exercise capacity and insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes. Beta-alanine is a natural amino acid that is found in chicken, beef, pork and fish. It has been shown to improve exercise capacity as well as muscle carnosine, a substance reduced in people with type 2 diabetes.

“Type 2 diabetes is often treated with exercise therapy to reduce body fat, which has been shown to enhance insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal,” Nealon said.

“However, some people with type 2 diabetes find physical activity particularly difficult, and exercise therapy is often a slow process, which may impede a sufferer’s ability to perform exercise and lead to a loss of motivation.”

The pilot study saw subjects giving blood for analysis and subjecting themselves to a treadmill exercise test before and after 28 days of a supplementation plan. Participants were not asked to change any aspect of their daily life other than take the supplements.

Not only did participants show “an increase in exercise capacity without even partaking in a structured exercise program,” said Nealon, there was also “a significantly greater reduction in fasting blood glucose in the beta-alanine treatment group than the placebo treatment group”.

“Increases in exercise capacity after beta-alanine supplementation were strongly related with reductions in fasting blood glucose,” he added.

The supplement was provided by industry partner BodyScience International, which partly funded the study.