Combined aerobic and resistance exercise training decreases peripheral but not central artery wall thickness in subjects with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Objective Little is known about the impact of exercise training on conduit artery wall thickness in type 2 diabetes. We examined the local and systemic impact of exercise training on superficial femoral (SFA), brachial (BA), and carotid artery (CA) wall thickness in type 2 diabetes patients and controls.Methods Twenty patients with type 2 diabetes and 10 age-and sex-matched controls performed an 8-week training study involving lower-limb based combined aerobic and resistance exercise training. We examined the SFA to study the local effect of exercise, and also the systemic impact of lower-limb based exercise training on peripheral (i.e. BA) and central (i.e. CA) arteries. Wall thickness (WT), diameter and wall:lumen(W:L)-ratios were examined using automated edgedetection of ultrasound images.Results Exercise training did not alter SFA or CA diameter in type 2 diabetes or controls (all P>0.05). BA diameter was increased after training in type 2 diabetes, but not in controls.Exercise training decreased WT and W:L-ratio in the SFA and BA, but not in CA in type 2 diabetes. Training did not alter WT or W:L-ratio in controls (P>0.05).Conclusion Lower-limb dominant exercise training causes remodelling of peripheral arteries, supplying active and inactive vascular beds, but not central arteries in type 2 diabetes.

Effects of Resistance and Combined training on Vascular Function in Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…All studies were conducted in sedentary individuals. Eight studies recruited both male and female participants [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35], three studies exclusively recruited male participants [36][37][38], and two studies recruited females exclusively [39,40]. Only 3 studies had a control group [28,35,38].…”

“…RT on weight machines was used in one study with high intensity [31] and elastic resistance bands with low intensity were used in another study [39]; frequency of training was 3 days a week for 14 months and 5 days a week for 12 weeks, respectively. The usage of resources for combined training among the 11 studies was as follows: -7 studies used weight machines [28,32,33,[36][37][38]40] -2 free weights [29,30] -1 elastic resistance bands [34] -1 did not include information on the kind of exercise [35] The frequency of CT was most commonly 2 or 3 days per week and duration was between 4 weeks and 12 months.…”

“…Two studies used a percentage of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) [33,36], with a range between 55-80% MVC. Kilogram equivalents for resistance bands were used in two studies to prescribe intensity [34,39], one study used Borg's scale [30] and two studies did not report the intensity progression during the intervention period [35,38]. AT intensity was expressed as: -Percentage of maximal heart rate (HRmax) [28,32,35] -Percentage of heart rate reserve (HRR) [38, 40] -Percentage of maximal rate of oxygen consumption (VO 2 max) [34,36,37] or -Percentage of peak rate of oxygen consumption (VO 2 peak) [29,33] The intensity ranged from 60-90%.…”

“…-Increased arterial elasticity and compliance [33,35,40]. -Remodeling of peripheral arteries [38], promoting improved vasodilatory function in type 2 diabetes patients.…”

“…In combined training studies, the following positive effects were observed: -Improved endothelial function and reduced arterial stiffness [29,30,38]. -Increased arterial elasticity and compliance [33,35,40].…”