Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #148387
Title: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF RESISTANCE TRAINING TO IMPROVE GLYCEMIC CONTROL IN OLDER ADULTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES

Author
item CASTANEDA, CARMEN - HNRCA
item LAYNE, JENNIFER - HNRCA
item MUNOZ-ORIANS, LEDA - HNRCA
item GORDON, PATRICIA - HNRCA
item WALSMITH, JOSEPH - HNRCA
item FOLDVARI, MONA - HNRCA
item ROUBENOFF, RONENN - HNRCA
item TUCKER, KATHERINE - HNRCA
item NELSON, MIRIAM - HNRCA

Submitted to: Diabetes Care
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/9/2002
Publication Date: 12/1/2002
Citation: Castaneda, C., Layne, J., Munoz-Orians, L., Gordon, P.L., Walsmith, J., Foldvari, M., Roubenoff, R., Tucker, K.L., Nelson, M. 2002. A randomized controlled trial of resistance training to improve glycemic control in older adults with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 25(12):2335-41.

Interpretive Summary: More than 18% of the U.S. population 65 of age and older has diabetes. Among Latinos, diabetes prevalence is double that of Caucasians. This is a concern given the disparate access and substandard health care among minorities, the rapid growth of the U.S. Latino population, and the economic cost and mortality associated with diabetes. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of high intensity, low volume progressive resistance training to improve glycemic control and other metabolic abnormalities in a population of Latino older adults with poor glycemic control and no personal history of regular exercise. Resistance training significantly improved glycemic control, increased fat-free mass, reduced the requirement for diabetes medications, reduced abdominal adiposity and systolic blood pressure, and increased muscle strength and spontaneous physical activity. The improvement in glycemic control with resistance training was independent of insulin use, years of diabetes, the change in diabetes medications, and the change in spontaneous physical activity. This suggests that resistance training may be beneficial as an adjunct to standard care in this patient population. This is particularly important in the case of individuals who may be noncompliant with diabetes self-management, and may receive substandard health care. Therefore, appropriately prescribed and supervised high-intensity resistance training proved both feasible and effective among high-risk older adults with diabetes, resulting in improved gylcemic and metabolic control. Given the epidemic of diabetes in recent years, resistance training may be useful as an adjunct to standard medical care in the management of patients with diabetes.

Technical Abstract: To determine the efficacy of high-intensity progressive resistance training on glycemic control in older adults with type 2 diabetes, we performed a sixteen-week randomized controlled trial in 62 Latino older adults (40 women, 22 men; mean ± SE, age 66 ± 8 y) with type 2 diabetes randomly assigned to supervised progressive resistance training (PRT) or a control group. Glycemic control, metabolic syndrome abnormalities, body composition, and muscle glycogen stores were determined before and after the intervention. Sixteen weeks of PRT (3 times per week) resulted in reduced plasma glycosylated hemoglobin levels (from 8.7 ± 0.3 to 7.6 ± 0.2%), increased muscle glycogen stores (from 60.3 ± 3.9 to 79.1 ±¿5.0 mmol glucose/kg muscle), and reduced dose of prescribed diabetes medication in 72% of exercisers compared to the control group, P = 0.004 to 0.05. Control subjects showed no change in glycosylated hemoglobin, a reduction in muscle glycogen (from 61.4 ± 7.7 to 47.2 ± 6.7 mmol glucose/kg muscle), and a 42% increase in diabetes medications. PRT subjects vs. controls also increased lean mass (+1.2 ± 0.2 vs. -0.1 ± 0.1 kg), reduced systolic blood pressure (-9.7 ± 1.6 vs. +7.7 ± 1.9 mmHg), and decreased trunk fat mass (-0.7 ± 0.1 vs. +0.8 ± 0.1 kg), P = 0.01 to 0.05. Progressive resistance training as an adjunct to standard of care is feasible and effective in improving glycemic control and some of the abnormalities associated with the metabolic syndrome among high-risk older adults with type 2 diabetes.