The Impact of Burst Exercise on Cardiometabolic Status of Patients Newly Diagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

BackgroundThe impact of burst high-intensity exercise on physiological, cardiometabolic, and biochemical variables compared with traditional moderate-intensity continuous exercise training (MICT) has yet to be assessed in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We compared the impact of multiple short-duration, high-intensity burst exercise sessions to MICT on cardiometabolic variables in patients with T2D. MethodsForty newly diagnosed patients with T2D not receiving lipid lowering or hypoglycemic medications were randomized to 40 minutes of MICT (60% of maximal heart rate) 5 days per week or 3 continuous bursts of 12 minutes of high-intensity exercise (85% of maximal heart rate) 5 days per week for 3 months. Body mass index, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), and lipid profile were assessed before and after 3 months of exercise training. ResultsBurst exercise resulted in greater body mass index reduction than did MICT (–2.1 ± 1.2 kg/m2 vs –0.7 ± 0.7 kg/m2, respectively; P < 0.05). There was a greater reduction at 3 months (P < 0.05) in HbA1C levels in the burst exercise group (8.14% ± 0.49% to 7.32% ± 0.39%) compared with the MICT group (8.18% ± 0.35% to 7.94% ± 0.41%). Compared with MICT, burst exercise was associated with a greater reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (–11 vs –4%; P < 0.05) and a greater increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (22% vs 3%; all P < 0.05). After 3 months, patients in the burst exercise group attained greater exercise time on the treadmill (exercise capacity) than did those prescribed MICT (6.87 ± 1.44 minutes vs 5.40 ± 1.96 minutes; P < 0.001). ConclusionsFindings from the current study support better cardiometabolic benefits of burst exercise compared with MICT over 3 months in patients with newly diagnosed T2D.