Interval Training Reduces CV Risk in Patients with Diabetes

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) improves cardiac structure and function and decreases cardiometabolic risk in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study.

Although cardiac disease is the leading cause or mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes, there is a lack of therapy options available for improving cardiac dysfunction in these patients.
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For this reason, researchers conducted a study of 23 patients with type 2 diabetes randomized to either 12 weeks of HIIT or to standard care.

HIIT consisted of 3 weekly sessions of stationary bicycling, beginning with intervals of 2 minutes 3-minute recovery periods, and increasing in 10-second increments each week.

Cardiac function was measured with MRI and hepatic fat with magnetic resonance spectroscopy.  

Compared with controls, individuals in the HIIT group showed improvements in cardiac structure, systolic function, diastolic filling rates, and peak torsion.  Following HIIT, there was a 39% relative reduction in liver fat and a significant reduction in HbA1c levels as well, compared with controls.

“This is the first study to demonstrate improvements in cardiac structure and function, along with the greatest reduction in liver fat, to be recorded following an exercise intervention in type 2 diabetes. HIIT should be considered by clinical care teams as a therapy to improve cardiometabolic risk in patients with type 2 diabetes,” they concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Cassidy S, Thoma C, Hallsworth K, et al. High intensity intermittent exercise improves cardiac structure and function and reduces liver fat in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial. Diabetologia. 2015 September 9 [epub ahead of print]. DOI 10.1007/s00125-015-3741-2