Effects of continuous aerobic exercise and circuit resistance training on fasting blood glucose control and plasma lipid profile in male patients with type II diabetes mellitus

Disorders in metabolic adjustment associated with diabetes mellitus lead to significant cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of aerobic exercise and resistance training on fasting blood glucose control and plasma lipid profile of male patients with type II diabetes mellitus.
This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 30 male patients with type II diabetes mellitus with mean age of 45.5±3.5 years. Participants were selected via purposive sampling and randomly divided into three groups of 10, including aerobic exercise, resistance training, and control. Aerobic exercises and resistance training were performed three times a week for eight weeks. Biochemical parameters of the patients were measured before and after the intervention. Changes in the measured parameters were analyzed using paired T-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at the significance level of P≤0.05.
By the end of the eight-week period of intervention, a significant reduction was observed in fasting blood glucose, while a significant increase was observed in plasma high-density lipoproteins in patients of aerobic exercise and resistance training groups (P≤0.05). Moreover, plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein had a significant reduction in patients of the resistance training group only (P≤0.05).
According to the results of this study, aerobic exercise and resistance trainings could be effective in controlling the blood glucose and improving the lipid profile in male patients with type II diabetes mellitus. Therefore, it is recommended that diabetic patients be provided with proper exercises in order to control fasting blood glucose and lipid profile after consultation with a physician.