The Effects of Electrical Muscle Stimulation on Glucose Control in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction & Diabetes, i.e. lack of proper control of blood sugar, may cause serious complications in patients. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of electrical muscle stimulation on glucose control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. This clinical-trial study was conducted in 2009, in Shiraz, Iran. Forty nine diabetes mellitus patients, Type 2, participated in this study. In 28 cases, dietary and exercise modifications were recommended and electrical muscle stimulation was carried out. For the other 21 cases, only dietary and exercise modifications were recommended. Laboratory tests, including fasting blood sugar (FBS) and glucose tolerance test (GTT), was performed before the study and 6 weeks afterward. The results were analyzed by SPSS version 15.5 software and using t-test. The mean of FBS in the case group before EMS was 156 mg/dl and 6 weeks later changed to 123 mg/dl (p < 0.05), while in the control group these indices were 158 mg/dl and 154 mg/dl respectively. The mean of GTT in patients before EMS was 193 mg/dl and 6 weeks later became 150 mg/dl (p < 0.05), whereas in the control group these figures were 204 mg/dl and 201 mg/dl respectively. The results of this study confirmed that the use of electrical muscle stimulation can be effective on glucose control in type 2 diabetes mellitus.