Man exercising to reduce chance of diabetes

Testosterone and Diabetes: What Exercises Reduce The Chances of Diabetes?

8 min read

|

10 Mar 2024

Grab your cheat sheet

  1. What is the link between testosterone and diabetes?
  2. What else can cause diabetes?
  3. Exercises to reduce diabetes and improve testosterone
  4. How can exercise help you to raise testosterone levels?
  5. How can exercise reduce the risk of diabetes?
  6. So, what’s the bottom line?

High sugar levels in the blood can lead to diabetes, which can cause serious health issues like kidney damage and heart disease. 

Taking control of the condition can be tricky—and have life-changing consequences—without proper management or treatment.

There are two main types of diabetes…

Type 1: This is the type of diabetes where your immune system attacks insulin-producing beta cells. It can be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Type 2: This type of diabetes occurs when your body doesn't produce enough insulin, or fails to use it. It's the most common form of diabetes, and it can happen because of lifestyle choices that sometimes lead to obesity and physical inactivity.

Regular check-ups and blood tests are crucial for the early detection and management of diabetes.

So, how can you try to prevent the onset of diabetes? Is it something you can control, with some small adjustments to your lifestyle? Or will it involve a major overhaul? 

Scientific studies have shown that keeping our testosterone at a healthy level can help reduce the risk of certain health issues like diabetes. 

Let’s take a closer look at what you can do to get your testosterone levels up to try to combat diabetes.

What is the link between testosterone and diabetes?

Studies have shown a direct link between low testosterone and type 2 diabetes. In fact, controlled trials have discovered that people with diabetes are twice as likely to suffer from low testosterone.

As an FYI, the main symptoms of low testosterone include…

  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Increased body fat
  • Tiredness
  • Low mood and depressive symptoms 
  • Reduced muscle 
  • Low sex drive
  • Other health issues, like kidney disease 

Read: The lifestyle factors that affect testosterone levels

What else can cause diabetes?

While there's no denying the diabetic effect that low testosterone can cause, there can be other reasons you develop diabetes. 

Some people with diabetes can have…

  • An unhealthy diet
  • A family history of type 2 diabetes
  • Take certain medications
  • Have high blood pressure
  • Have a genetic makeup that increases the risk

Your diet is the most important factor when it comes to keeping control of your blood sugar levels. 

Ditching the canned goods, eating whole foods, and topping up with supplements rich in magnesium, zinc, and vitamins can support healthy testosterone levels. 

Leafy greens, shellfish, eggs, avocados, and berries are great choices. Keeping well hydrated is also important for blood sugar control. 

Poor lifestyle choices like smoking or drinking too much alcohol, or a lack of even moderate-intensity activity like walking can also increase your risk of diabetes.

Exercises to reduce diabetes and improve testosterone

Physical activity, and aerobic exercise are important if you want to improve your health. 

Three types of exercises have been shown to improve testosterone deficiency. Using a mixture of these exercises regularly will set you on the right track towards getting your levels back up.

Resistance Training

Research shows that resistance exercise is one of the best forms of exercise to build muscle mass—and the less excess body fat you have, the better your chances of higher testosterone levels. 

There are various types of resistance exercises, including…

  • Weightlifting
  • Using free weights
  • Weight machines
  • Resistance bands 
  • Working with your own body weight

If you’re new to strength training, start out with a manageable amount of resistance and time, then move on to longer periods of exercise, and heavier weights. 

Getting into the gym and getting into shape through strength training could be one of the best decisions you ever made.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Men doing HIIT

HIIT training is another effective way to increase testosterone levels, especially in men. High-intensity exercises call for short bursts of exercise at maximum effort. 

For example, if you're running, you would sprint for around 20 to 30 seconds at maximum speed or near full-out effort, then allow for a few minutes of recovery. You would repeat this around five times. 

Examples of HIIT training include…

  • Jump squats
  • Burpees
  • Sprinting
  • Jumping jacks
  • Kettlebell swings

It might not seem like a vast workout timewise, but working at maximum effort can make a massive difference to your fitness level. A recent study discovered that HIIT can lead to a rise in testosterone levels. 

Multi-Joint Exercises 

Exercises that engage major muscle groups are great for getting the T levels up.

Examples include…

  • Squats
  • Deadlifts
  • Bench presses
  • Rows
  • Pull-ups
  • Overhead presses
  • Pushups 

One of the reasons is that these kinds of workouts build plenty of muscle mass, which is crucial for reducing excess body fat and releasing testosterone. Introducing multi-joint exercises a few days each week will be highly beneficial.

How can exercise help you to raise testosterone levels?

Middle aged man exercising

Research shows that regular exercise can help raise testosterone levels in several ways. 

Resistance training and high-intensity interval training have been shown to be particularly effective.

So, how does exercise help you raise testosterone and reduce the risk of diabetes?

Let’s find out.

How can exercise reduce the risk of diabetes?

Keeping fit is essential for many aspects of our health, and it's especially important when it comes to controlling diabetes. 

Studies show that weaving exercise into your daily routine can lower the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. 

There are various reasons for this, including…

Better weight management: Any excess body fat will be a step towards type 2 diabetes, so burning the calories through exercise will help you to get the balance right.  

Better insulin sensitivity: This can occur even with moderate exercise, as it helps to regulate your blood sugar levels.

Better glucose control: If you’re engaging in regular exercise, it will improve your blood glucose control, and reduce the risk of diabetes.

Healthier health: Regular physical activity is good for your cardiovascular system, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular issues, which can lead to diabetes.

Now, let’s have a look at how exercise can get T levels up and reduce the risk of diabetes.

Exercise helps with weight control

Adding physical exercise into your weekly routine will help with weight loss and will offer a host of other health-boosting benefits.

One of the main factors linked to low testosterone is excess body fat, particularly obesity. If you feel you need to lose weight, it’s important to start an exercise program

Maintaining a healthy weight and reducing excess fat are huge steps forward in the fight against diabetes and getting testosterone levels up. 

The less excess body weight you carry, the higher your testosterone levels are likely to be. 

Just getting your heart rate up for half an hour each day will be a big step forward.

Exercise can lower blood glucose levels

Exercising triggers the amount of glucose taken from your blood and releases it to your muscles. 

So, exercise can help to lower blood glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity. This will help to raise testosterone levels.

Building muscle helps to raise testosterone 

Building muscle requires an uptake of glucose, so the less muscle you have, the more glucose you'll likely have in your system. 

If you don't have a certain amount of muscle, it will cause an excess in your bloodstream, which can be hard to clear. 

The more muscle you build, the more glucose will be taken up to help develop it.  So working out to increase muscle mass can help you clear the excess glucose from your system and raise testosterone levels.

Exercise helps to lower stress 

Stressed man

Those who suffer from high stress levels also tend to have low testosterone, so a stress reduction can lead to an increase in T levels. 

When you’re stressed, it can take a significant toll on you both mentally and physically. So, getting your stress levels down through exercise greatly benefits your stress levels.

Exercise can improve your blood flow

If you improve your blood flow and oxygen delivery, you can raise t levels and decrease the risk of diabetes. Exercise releases several compounds that benefit your health, and the more nutrients you can deliver around your body, the greater your health. 

A better oxygen delivery will also improve your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. 

Exercise can help lower inflammation

Inflammation is associated with low testosterone, as it can cause bacteria to form in the intestine, which can then cause an issue with circulation. 

If you can lower inflammation, you'll significantly increase your chances of a higher t level.

So, what’s the bottom line?

It’s important to stay healthy! The evidence clearly shows that you can raise your testosterone levels through…

  • A healthy diet:  the best way to help to increase testosterone, lower blood sugar levels, and help with blood glucose control
  • Better lifestyle choices: Getting your stress levels down, deep breathing, low-impact exercise, and cutting down on cigarettes and alcohol are all big steps forward.
  • Regular physical activity: Moderate intensity exercise such as brisk walking, aerobic activity, right through to vigorous activity such as HIIT and strength training are all perfect for turning the tide on low testosterone and helping type 2 diabetes.

Looking after your testosterone levels can have a significant impact on other areas of health, and will have many other benefits (including helping to control diabetes), so the best plan of action is to act now.

Testoprime is an all-natural supplement designed to help you get your testosterone levels up. It will help you to increase physical and mental energy on demand and help burn unwanted fat while building lean muscle. Go get some.