Effect of 12-Week Resistance Exercise Program on Body Composition, Muscle Strength, Physical Function, and Glucose Metabolism in Healthy, Insulin-Resistant, and Diabetic Elderly Icelanders

Abstract

A 12-week resistance exercise program improves muscle strength and muscle function to a similar extent in healthy, prediabetic, and T2DM elderly people. However, according to our data, T2DM participants do not experience favorable changes in fasting glucose or HbA(1C).

Exercise interventions in polypathological aging patients that coexist with diabetes mellitus: improving functional status and quality of life

“…In addition to its important effect on glycemic control, resistance training is a very important intervention because it counteracts the exacerbated loss of muscle strength and functional capacity observed in elderly patients (Castaneda et al 2002;Dunstan et al 2002;Brooks et al 2007;Ibañez et al 2008;Geirsdottir et al 2012). For example, in study of Brandon et al (2003), 24 weeks of resistance training performed at moderate intensity induced increases in muscle strength and mobility in elderly with type 2 diabetes.…”

“…For example, in study of Brandon et al (2003), 24 weeks of resistance training performed at moderate intensity induced increases in muscle strength and mobility in elderly with type 2 diabetes. In general, studies have demonstrated that applying a resistance training intervention consisting of either two or three sets of 8-15 repetitions at an intensity ranging from 50 to 85 % of one maximum repetition (1 RM) performed two or three times per week for between 8 and 24 weeks markedly increases maximal muscle strength in elderly type 2 diabetic patients (Castaneda et al 2002;Dunstan et al 2002;Brooks et al 2007;Ibañez et al 2008;Geirsdottir et al 2012). It should be mentioned that lower resistance training volume (i.e., one set per exercise) may induce similar neuromuscular improvements as higher volumes (i.e., two to three sets per exercise) in healthy elderly subjects, especially in early phases of training (i.e., 3 months) (Radaelli et al 2014).…”

“…Although endurance exercise had traditionally been advocated as the most suitable mode of exercise for the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases (Borghouts and Keizer 2000), resistance training has also consistently been shown to effectively reduce the glycemic levels in pre-diabetic and diabetic individuals (Ibañez et al 2005;Umpierre et al 2011;Geirsdottir et al 2012). In addition, the combination of resistance and endurance training is a more effective exercise intervention to improve neuromuscular and cardiovascular functions, than either resistance or endurance training alone.…”

“…Importantly, not all studies investigating the effects of resistance training reported decreases in the glycemic or HbA1c levels (Honkola et al 1997;Geirsdottir et al 2012;Mavros et al 2013). Some exercise interventions may not elicit sufficient stimulus to induce metabolic changes in diabetic patients.…”

“…In addition to the beneficial effects of exercise interventions on glycemic control (Umpierre et al 2011) and on the cardiovascular risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes (Balducci et al 2004;Figueira et al 2014), physical exercise is an effective intervention to improve muscle strength, power output, cardiovascular function, and functional capacity in elderly diabetic patients (Balducci et al 2012;Ibañez et al 2008;Geirsdottir et al 2012). In this regard, combined resistance and endurance training appears to serve as an effective exercise intervention to promote overall physical fitness in diabetic patients (Balducci et al 2012).…”