The effectiveness of 8-week aerobic exercise and drug modification on metabolic indices in women with type 2 diabetes

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aerobic training with and without drug modification on some blood metabolites and substrates in women with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Forty-nine women with type 2 diabetes were randomly divided into four groups as following: training-full drug, training-half drug, no training-full drug, and no training-half drug. Training intervention included three aerobic activities per week for eight weeks. Fasting blood glucose, blood glucose 2h after meal, triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL, HDL, urea, and creatinine were measured before and after intervention in all groups.

Results: In the training-full drug group, fasting blood glucose, blood glucose 2h after meal, triglyceride, and urea decreased significantly after the intervention. In the training-half drug group, the only significant change was a decrease in fasting level of blood glucose. In the no training-full drug group, significant increases were observed in fasting blood glucose, blood glucose 2h after meal, and urea. In the no training-half drug group, fasting blood glucose, blood glucose 2h after meal, triglyceride, and creatinine increased significantly.

Conclusion: Physical activity can lead to better control of blood sugar, decreased urea and triglyceride levels in women with type 2 diabetes. Optimal results will be obtained if the training be conducted in conjunction with the full drug intervention. Drug treatment alone, could not help this patients regarding metabolic indices. A proper physical training is important in the treatment process. However, reduction in drug use, without any training could have harmful consequences for these patients.