Exercise Intensity, Glycemic Control and Abdominal Fat in People With Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Study

Summary

Body fat is an important risk factors for type 2 diabetes. However, not all body fat is the same. Research suggests that fat stored in the abdomen is most harmful. This is known as intra-abdominal fat. The objective of the proposed study is to understand the effect of exercise intensity on intra-abdominal fat and glucose control. Twenty participants with type 2 diabetes will be assigned to traditional or high intensity exercise. The exercise interventions will last a total of 14 weeks. Those in the traditional intensity group will exercise at an intensity comparable to walking. The high intensity group will alternate between 1 minute at high intensity and 3 minutes at low intensity. Both exercise groups will burn a similar amount of Calories and will exercise for the same amount of time. The exercise duration will start at 30 minutes per day. By the end of the study, it will be 60 minutes per day. All exercise sessions will be supervised. Body fat distribution will be estimated by a scanning machine called a DXA and anthropometric measures. Glycemic control will be measured from a blood sample. This study may not be of sufficient size to detect meaningful changes in these variables. However, it will provide information in regards to the preliminary efficacy, resource requirements and feasibility. Feasibility will include: recruitment, retention and adherence. Such information is essential for planning a more definitive trial. The identification of exercises that target greater reductions in abdominal fat will have important implications for the health of people with diabetes.

Conditions

• Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Traditional Intensity Exercise

The exercise intensity will be set at a workload corresponding to 40% of the workload obtained at VO2peak during the baseline progressive maximal exercise tests. Based on the anticipated fitness of the participants this should to an intensity of about 3.5 METs, which is similar to walking at a moderate pace.

BEHAVIORAL

High Intensity Interval Exercise

The High Intensity Interval Exercise intervention will replicate all aspects of the Traditional Intensity Exercise with the exception of exercise intensity. The High Intensity Interval Exercise protocol will involve alternating between 1-minute intervals at 100% workload obtained at VO2peak followed by 3-minute recovery intervals at 20% of workload obtained at VO2peak (average = 40% ). As many complete intervals as possible will be completed during a training session (e.g., 7 intervals can be completed in a 30 min period (7 x 4 min = 28 min), with the remaining time spent at 40% peak workload to ensure a similar work output as the Traditional Intensity Exercise.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Alberta Diabetes Institute

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Alberta

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Normand G. Boulé, PhD · University of Alberta

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

55 Years

Max Age

75 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2010-06-30

Primary Completion

2011-06-30

Completion

2011-06-30

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations