Both endurance and strength training are effective and inexpensive interventions for diabetes patients to improve pathologically increased levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia), health and fitness. However, our current knowledge of the biological mechanism underlying the improved glycaemia during muscle hypertrophy is limited.
Our hypothesis is that a hypertrophying muscle after strength training uptakes more glucose and then uses the carbon of glucose as a building block to build muscle mass. We have already tested this hypothesis in a preliminary cell culture experiment and we found that a hypertrophying muscle uses more carbon from glucose for the synthesis of protein and RNA. 
To further explore this phenomenon, Dr. Philipp Baumert will investigate, in collaboration with Dr. Karin Kleigrewe (Bavarian Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Center of TUM), Prof. Kenneth Smith (University of Nottingham), and Prof. Aivaras Ratkevicius (Lithuanian Sports University), how the metabolism changes during muscular hypertrophy from June 1, 2020 on. The data from the HyperGluX project might explain why lack of muscle growth in old age is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and it could show why stimulating muscle hypertrophy additionally reduces the risk of diabetes. Strength training could be prescribed specifically for those diabetes patients who have low muscle mass or who are unwilling to do long-term endurance training or high-intensity interval training.
The successful research proposal was submitted by Henning Wackerhage and is funded by German Diabetes Foundation (Deutschen Diabetes Stiftung (DDS) ), whose support is gratefully acknowledged.