Comparison the effects of aqua aerobic and resistance training on blood sugar and insulin resistance in women with gestational diabetes mellitus

The purpose of this study was to comparison the effects of aqua and resistance training on insulin resistance and homeostasis model assessment of β-Cell function in women with gestational diabetes mellitus.

For this purpose, 34 women with gestational diabetes voluntarily participated which were selected from the available sampling pool. The subjects were simple random assigned in three groups. 12 subjects participated in an aqua aerobic training group (3 days/week, 30-45 min/day, 50-70% maximum heart rate) and 11 subjects participated in an aqua resistance training group (3 days/week, 2-3 set of 15 repetition, 50-70%maximum heart rate), and 11 subjects were in control group who did not participate in any exercise program during the study period.

The results indicated that HOMA-β increased and fasting glucose decreased in the aqua resistance training (P<0.05), however no significant differences were observed between three groups. For fasting insulin and insulin resistance no significant differences observed after the intervention.

It seems likely that aqua resistance training is more effective in comparison to aqua aerobic training in improving diabetes risk factors in women with gestational diabetes.