Effects of Moderate Physical Activity on Glycemic Control in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background: Sedentary lifestyle cause obesity that can disturb body composition, metabolic profiles and insulin resistance which may then lead to ectopic fat in organs and thus leads to diabetes. Physical activity and life style modification was found to be very effective in reducing diabetes and its risk in adults. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of moderate physical activity on glycemic control in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus. Methodology: The participants with the age criteria of 35 years and above and non-insulin dependent type II diabetic mellitus were included in a study. A total of n=45 diabetic patient were assigned to three groups i.e. group 1 (brisk walk, n=16), Group 2 (aerobic training, n=16) and group 3 (resistance training, n=13). Each group performed these exercises for three months for five days a week, a total of 150 minutes per week. HbA1c test was used to determine the glucose level in blood. The data was presented in terms of frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, median, and mode. Depending on normality of the data, MANCOVA test was used for within group changes while paired sample T test was used for between group comparisons. Paired sample T test was used to determine correlation. Results: The mean age of n=45 study participants were 49.75 ±7.86 years. Between groups analysis showed that all groups significantly improved (p<0.001) regarding HBA1c level after 12 weeks intervention. However, no significant difference {F(2,39), p=0.117} was observed among the groups regarding HBA1c level after 12 week intervention. Conclusion: Moderate physical activity showed significant improvement on HbA1c levels. Keywords: Type 2 diabetes mellitus, moderate physical activity, HbA1c