Is a long-term aerobic plus resistance training program feasible for and effective on metabolic profiles in type 2 diabetic patients?

Abstract

Aerobic physical activity is a major therapeutic modality for type 2 diabetes (1,2). It is well known that regular aerobic exercise produces beneficial effects on glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, lipid abnormalities, and hypertension (3,4). On the other hand, several recent studies (5,6) have demonstrated the beneficial effect of resistance exercise in diabetes, and these results should encourage its practice because of the increasing number of sedentary, older, and obese people in industrialized countries. In fact, this is particularly important in the case of individuals who may be noncompliant with aerobic exercise. To prove the effectiveness of resistance training, a recent study (7) showed the positive effects of prescribed and supervised high-intensity resistance training for 16 weeks in high-risk older adults with type 2 diabetes, resulting in improved glycemic and metabolic control. Similarly, 16 weeks of resistance plus aerobic training is reported to enhance glucose disposal in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes (8). Both of these studies evaluate the effect of relatively short-period physical training but neither investigates prolonged resistance exercise combined with aerobic training in diabetic people. We therefore investigated the long-term effects (1 year) of prescribed and supervised combined aerobic and resistance training on glycemic control, cardiovascular risk factors, and body composition in type 2 diabetic patients. Physical examination was performed to detect the presence and degree of complications as well as to determine any orthopedic limitations. After …