New publication on Exerkines: a review of Physical Exercise as a Therapeutic Approach for Type 2 Diabetes

August 25 2025

Physical Exercise as a Therapeutic Approach for Patients Living with Type 2 Diabetes: Does the Explanation Reside in Exerkines? - A Review

Bernard D., Sultan A., Bouzakri K.

Diabetes mellitus, whose main form type 2 diabetes (T2D) accounts for 90% of all cases, is now recognized as a widespread pandemic mainly attributed to the rise in Western diet consumption. The disease relies on a default of insulin action in insulin sensitive tissues, known as insulin resistance, which can lead to Beta cell death and finally chronic hyperglycemia. To date, there is no treatment available to cure the disease.

However, lifestyle modifications, including eating behaviors and increasing physical activity, represent the first recommendations for managing T2D. For a few decades, a crosstalk seems to be involved in physical exercise with the secretion of molecules defined as “exerkines”. Thus, the review intends to first summarize the current knowledge related to physical exercise benefits in a context of T2D: from “unwanted” adipose tissue reduction to Beta cell health improvement. Then, a possible underlying mechanism explaining the beneficial effects of physical exercise through exerkine secretions, with a particular focus on pancreatic cells, is explored.

Because of the need for regulatory authorities to reduce the use of animals for scientific purposes, particular emphasis is placed on clinical studies. 

Link to the paper : https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/17/8182