Question
Can exercise alone prevent metabolic disease?
Takeaway
The narrative that exercise alone can prevent obesity and metabolic disease is largely the product of food industry PR campaigns; scientific evidence indicates sugar and carbohydrate consumption, specifically, contributes to disease progression.

In this 2015 editorial, Aseem Malhotra, Tim Noakes, and Stephen Phinney argue that in addition to exercise, specific dietary changes are necessary to prevent or reverse metabolic disease.

A 2015 report from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges described exercise as a “miracle cure” and arg...

This 2017 review summarizes multiple mechanisms by which insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction could drive development and/or progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Current evidence suggests hyperinsulinemia, and/or insulin resistance specifically, is most strongly linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s. The link between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease is more tenuous, with some studies showing no increased risk of cognitive impairment due to obesity. Conversely, Alzheimer’s patients show higher levels of fasting insulin than controls, and individuals with di...