Glycemic Control After Meals On People With Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes Following Resistance Exercise

Resistance exercise (RE) has been shown to improve glycemic control after a meal in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and prediabetes under controlled laboratory settings. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of RE on glycemic control in a free-living environment. METHODS: This was a 4-arm randomized crossover study involving 22 participants with T2D (n=12) or prediabetes (n=10). Glucose was monitored using a continuous glucose monitoring device through the experimental situations that involved three separate exercise sessions: a high-intensity RE session (3 sets x 8 reps, 75%-1RM, 120 sec interval), a rest-redistribution RE session (6 sets x 4 reps, 75%-1RM, 60 sec interval), a low-load RE session (3 sets x 16 reps, 37.5%-1RM, 103 sec interval), and one control. After the sessions, participants were free to resume their daily activities. Glycemic response was assessed after sessions across 4 meals, in two consecutive days: lunch, dinner, breakfast, and lunch. All food was measured for caloric content and provided to participants a day before the situations, but ingestion was done on their own, in a free-living condition. RESULTS: No significant difference in glycemic control after any meal was found among situations. CONCLUSION: In a free-living condition, RE did not change glycemic control in response to meals in individuals with T2D and prediabetes. The present results were most likely caused by the free-living environment participants were in compared to the highly controlled laboratory environments employed in previous research. We believe the present design bears more significant ecological validity.