During the last few years, clinical studies have demonstrated a remarkable finding: the insulin resistance of muscle correlates directly with the amount of triglycerides stored in the muscle cells!

The more fat stored in muscle cells, the less efficiently those cells can respond to insulin.

The fat in muscle cells isn’t just an innocent bystander in the phenomenon of insulin resistance - it’s at the root of the problem.

Recent studies have shown that the amount of fat stored in muscle can be reduced when people consume a very-low-fat diet in conjunction with a regular aerobic exercise program in which exercise sessions are prolonged and of moderate intensity. In other words, the right type of exercise for fat burning. These lifestyle measures complement each other quite effectively. The right kind of exercise can burn off some of the fat stored in the exercised muscle.

But that muscle then becomes "fat hungry" and if you eat fatty meals after you exercise, the muscle will suck up some of the absorbed fat. McCarty claims this won’t happen if your meals are very low in fat. Long before these recent studies were done, medical pioneer Nathan Pritikin was recommending precisely this sort of regimen for patients with heart disease and diabetes. Doctors at the Pritikin Clinic were able to show that Pritikin’s regimen (then ridiculed as unproven or impractical by medical orthodoxy) quickly improved muscle insulin sensitivity, most dramatically in those who were originally most insulin resistant.

It appears that habitual diets must be low in fat (no more than 10-15% fat calories) to have a favorable impact on muscle insulin sensitivity.

Exercise training plays a fundamental role in promoting the insulin sensitivity of skeletal muscle. A single exercise session burns off some of the fat stored in muscle, whereas exercise training enhances muscle capacity for fat burning and helps prevent obesity.