Lara Carlson and student advisees present at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facility

Lara Carlson, Ph.D., FACSM, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Exercise Science (AES), recently presented with AES students Cara Fowler (’14) and Sarah Lamberton (’15) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facility in Saco, Maine.

Fowler led the presentation titled “Diabetes and Exercise” in which she explained the benefits of physical activity to those diagnosed with diabetes. She focused on the role of exercise on increased glucose uptake into active muscles, enhanced insulin sensitivity, and improvement of cardiovascular risk factors such as lipid profiles and visceral adiposity.

Fowler and Carlson added that resistance exercise training has also been gaining recognition for improving the enhancement of insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control, while it also has the added benefits of increasing muscle strength, bone mineral density, and lean muscle mass.

Carlson has a faculty appointment with the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs.