Stanford Study: Strength training is more effective than aerobic exercise for improving glycaemic control and body composition in people with normal-weight type 2 diabetes.
A group of Stanford researchers published a study in the journal Diabetologia this month that examined the effects of exercise on patients with type 2 diabetes who were not overweight.
Approximately 20% of patients with type 2 diabetes are normal weight (they are not overweight or obese), and there is a paucity of research that examines how exercise impacts these patients.
Researchers assigned the subjects (mean age 59; 40% women and 60% men) to one of three exercise groups (all groups exercised for nine months; the duration of this study is a major strength of the study design).
Strength training only.
Aerobic exercise only.
A combination of strength training and aerobic exercise.
The results?
Strength training alone was superior to aerobic training alone for reducing HbA1c. Interestingly, the group that did a combination of strength training and aerobic exercise fared no better than the group that performed strength training only.
The authors concluded, “Normal-weight individuals with type 2 diabetes present with relative sarcopenia, and strength training to achieve increased lean mass relative to decreased fat mass plays an important role in glycaemic control in this population. This study has important implications for the refinement of physical activity recommendations in type 2 diabetes by weight status.”
