The Effect of 12-Week Resistance Training on Cardiac Hypertrophy, Glucose Level, Insulin, and Insulin Resistance Index in STZ-Induced Diabetic Rats

Type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for heart disease and has a major contribution in mortality due to cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, the effect of 12-week resistance training was investigated on cardiac hypertrophy, glucose, level, insulin, and insulin resistance index in STZ-induced diabetic rats.
A total of 16 male Wistar rats (mean weight, 200±20g) were randomly divided into two groups of diabetic control and (N= 8), diabetic resistance (N= 8). The diabetic resistance training group performed a 12-week resistance training, and 48 hours after the end of the last training session, the rats were anesthetized and euthanized. The variables of interest (body weight, heart weight, left ventricular weight, percentage of heart weight to body weight, percentage of left ventricular weight to heart weight, resting heart rate, level of glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance index), were measured. Data analysis was performed using independent samples t-test at significance level of p≤0.05.
There was a significant difference among mean heart weight (p=0.050), left ventricular weight (p=0.002), level of glucose (p=0/000), insulin (p=0.000), and resting heart rate (p=0.021) in the resistance diabetic group compared to the control diabetic group.
According to the results of the present study, it seems that resistance training is an important strategy to improve the structure and function of the heart in diabetics and it can be considered as an effective intervention method.