Exercise increases glucose intake and is an effective way to control diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of interval and continuous exercise on GDF-15, pancreatic beta cell function and insulin resistance in women with type 2 diabetes.

45 women with type 2 diabetes with a mean age of 38.69±3.11 and fasting blood sugar of 9.78±1.25 mmol/l were randomly divided into three groups: continuous exercise, interval exercise and control. Continuous exercise consisted of twelve weeks, 3 sessions per week from 50 to 75% of maximum heart rate. Interval exercise continued from 75 to 90% of maximal heart rate. Sampling was performed before and after the intervention. Dependent t-test was used to compare within-group changes and analysis of covariance was used to compare between groups.

According to the statistical results, in the continuous group, a significant decrease was seen in the post-test compared to the pre-test, and in the interval group, an increase in the level of GDF-15 was observed. There was a significant difference between the mean insulin resistance in the pre-test and post-test periods in the continuous and interval groups compared to the control group. In the continuous and interval groups, there was a significant difference between the mean performance of beta cells in the pre- and post-period periods compared to the control group (P= 0.05).

Performing a period of continuous and interval exercise is effective in improving beta cell function, blood glucose Reduction and improving insulin resistance.