Both endurance and resistance exercise improve metabolic control in Type 2 diabetes, with individually tailored programs recommended based on disease stage, fitness, and comorbidities.
Other than diet and medication, exercise is considered one of the three cornerstones of good diabetes treatment. Nevertheless, current clinical guidelines on Type 2 diabetes provide no detailed information on the modalities of effective exercise intervention in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Based on a review of currently available literature, exercise modalities are being identified to maximize the benefits of exercise intervention in the treatment of different Type 2 diabetes subpopulations. Both endurance and resistance types of exercise have equal therapeutic strength to improve metabolic control in patients with Type 2 diabetes. When applying endurance-type exercise, energy expenditure should be equivalent to approximately 1.7-2.1 MJ/exercise bout on 3 but preferably 5 days/wk. In sarcopenic or severely deconditioned patients with Type 2 diabetes, focus should lie on the implementation of resistance-type exercise to attenuate and/or reverse the decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength. Before choosing the most appropriate exercise modalities, the patient's disease stage should be well characterized, and an ECG-stress test should be considered. Based on baseline aerobic fitness, level of co-morbidities, body composition, and muscle strength, patients should be provided with an individually tailored exercise intervention program to optimize therapeutic value. A multidisciplinary individualized approach and continued exercise training under personal supervision is essential to enhance compliance and allow long-term health benefits of an exercise intervention program.
Praet et al. (Thu,) conducted a review in Type 2 diabetes. Exercise intervention (endurance and resistance) was evaluated. Both endurance and resistance exercise improve metabolic control in Type 2 diabetes, with individually tailored programs recommended based on disease stage, fitness, and comorbidities.