High-intensity interval training significantly improved glycosylated haemoglobin compared with non-exercise control (WMD -0.83% to -0.39%) and moderate-intensity continuous training.
Systematic Review (n=2,954)
Does high-intensity interval training improve glycaemic control and cardiorespiratory fitness in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus compared with moderate-intensity continuous training or non-exercise control?
High-intensity interval training is an efficacious exercise strategy for improving glycaemic control and cardiometabolic health in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, outperforming moderate-intensity continuous training and non-exercise controls.
Effect estimate: WMD -0.83% to -0.39% (HbA1c vs CON)
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has gained attention as a potentially effective alternative to traditional exercise modalities for individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Previous studies have evaluated this exercise strategy with various regimens, comparator groups and outcomes, limiting the generalisability of findings. We performed a novel umbrella review to generate an up-to-date synthesis of the available evidence regarding the effect of HIIT on glycaemic control and other clinically relevant cardiometabolic health outcomes in individuals with T2DM, as compared with traditional moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) and/or non-exercise control (CON). This umbrella review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Overviews of Reviews guideline. Seven databases were searched until August 2024. Systematic reviews with meta-analyses comparing HIIT with MICT and/or CON were included. Literature search, data extraction and methodological quality assessment (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2 AMSTAR-2) were conducted independently by two reviewers. Ten systematic reviews with meta-analyses, encompassing 76 primary studies and 2954 unique participants, met the inclusion criteria. The data indicated that HIIT significantly improves glycosylated haemoglobin and cardiorespiratory fitness compared with CON (weighted mean difference WMD: -0.83% to -0.39% and 3.35-6.38 mL/kg/min) and MICT (WMD: -0.37% to -0.07% and 1.68-4.12 mL/kg/min) in individuals with T2DM. HIIT is also effective in improving other glycaemic parameters, including fasting blood glucose, fasting blood insulin and HOMA-IR. Improvement in body composition, lipid profiles and blood pressure has also been observed following HIIT. Most systematic reviews received moderate to low AMSTAR-2 score. This umbrella review supports HIIT as an efficacious exercise strategy for improving glycaemic control and certain relevant cardiometabolic health outcomes in individuals with T2DM. Our findings offer a comprehensive basis that may potentially contribute to informing physical activity recommendations for incorporating HIIT into T2DM management strategies.
Poon et al. (Wed,) conducted a systematic review in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (n=2,954). High-intensity interval training (HIIT) vs. Moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) and/or non-exercise control (CON) was evaluated on Glycosylated haemoglobin and cardiorespiratory fitness (WMD -0.83% to -0.39% (HbA1c vs CON)). High-intensity interval training significantly improved glycosylated haemoglobin compared with non-exercise control (WMD -0.83% to -0.39%) and moderate-intensity continuous training.