Functional high-intensity exercise training ameliorates insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk factors in type 2 diabetes.

Abstract

What is the central question of this study? Does short-duration, high-intensity exercise training that combines functional aerobic and resistance exercises into training sessions lasting 8-20min benefit individuals with type 2 diabetes? What is the main finding and its importance? Functional high-intensity training improves insulin sensitivity and reduces cardiometabolic risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes. This type of exercise training may be an effective exercise mode for managing type 2 diabetes. The increase in insulin sensitivity addresses a key defect in type 2 diabetes. Functional high-intensity training (F-HIT) is a novel fitness paradigm that integrates simultaneous aerobic and resistance training in sets of constantly varied movements, based on real-world situational exercises, performed at high-intensity in workouts that range from ∼8 to 20min per session. We hypothesized that F-HIT would be an effective exercise mode for reducing insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes (T2D). We recruited 13 overweight/obese adults (5 males, 8 females; 53±7years; BMI 34.5±3.6kgm-2 , means±SD) with T2D to participate in a 6-week (3daysweek-1 ) supervised F-HIT programme. An oral glucose tolerance test was used to derive measures of insulin sensitivity. F-HIT significantly reduced fat mass (43.8±83.8vs. 41.6±7.9kg; P<0.01), diastolic blood pressure (80.2±7.1vs. 74.5±5.8; P<0.01), blood lipids (triglyceride and VLDL, both P<0.05) and metabolic syndrome z-score (6.4±4.5vs. -0.2±5.2AU; P<0.001), and increased basal fat oxidation (0.08±0.03vs. 0.10±0.04gmin-1 ; P=0.05), and high molecular mass adiponectin (214.4±88.9vs. 288.8±127.4ngmL-1 ; P<0.01). Importantly, F-HIT also increased insulin sensitivity (0.037±0.010vs. 0.042±0.010 AU; P<0.05). Increases in high molecular mass adiponectin and basal fat oxidation correlated with the change in insulin sensitivity (ρ, 0.75, P<0.05 and ρ, 0.81, P<0.01, respectively). Compliance with the training programme was >95% and no injuries or adverse events were reported. These data suggest that F-HIT may be an effective exercise mode for managing T2D. The increase in insulin sensitivity addresses a key defect in T2D and is consistent with improvements observed after more traditional aerobic exercise programmes in overweight/obese adults with T2D.