Effects of muscle-specific exercises compared to existing interventions on insulin resistance among prediabetes population of South India

Abstract

Background: India is among the top three countries with diabetes and prediabetes, but interventional studies on prediabetes are less compared to other developed countries. Research design and Methods: This prospective open-label randomized interventional study was conducted among newly diagnosed prediabetes in selected districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in South India. Participants were randomized to six treatment groups: Group 1 – walking exercise, Group 2 – muscle-specific exercise (ME), Group 3 – metformin intervention, Group 4 – metformin with muscle-specific exercise, Group 5 – antioxidant intervention, and Group 6 – antioxidants with muscle-specific exercise. Drug intervention was for 12 weeks, and the study parameters of the subjects were measured at predefined intervals. The main outcome measures were homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood sugar (FBS), body mass index (BMI), and waist-to-hip ratio. Results: ME intervention in prediabetes significantly reduced BMI, FBS, HbA1c, and HOMA levels (P