Effects of physical activity on anthropometric variables and functional capacity of patients with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 affects the current society, and it is associated with overweight and obesity. The exercise has demonstrated favorable results in anthropometric parameters and gain joint flexibility and body mobility in these people. The objective was to analyze the interference of an exercise program on anthropometric measurements, flexibility and body mobility in type 2 diabetics. This is a longitudinal study realized with 14 type 2 diabetic patients with a mean age of 55 ± 9 years, from both genders, separated into groups of aerobic exercise (n = 8) and resistance (n=6). The body mass index, waist circumference, abdominal circumference, hip circumference, waist/hip ratio, body fat percentage, coxofemoral flexibility and body mobility were evaluated before and after a period of 10 weeks of aerobic or resistance exercise with weekly frequency of 3 days. For data analysis, we applied the paired t-test (pre x post exercise) and independent t-test (aerobic group x resistance group) with 5% significance level. There were no significant differences in anthropometric variables in both groups after the period of 10 weeks of supervised training. In relation to body mobility test, there was significant difference in the sample as a whole (p = 0.02), in the aerobic training group (p = 0.02) and resistance training group (p = 0.04). The coxofemoral flexibility test showed significant improvement (p = 0.02) in the sample and as a whole and clinical improvement in aerobic group (p = 0.12) and resistance (p = 0.09). Both aerobic training and the force training provided positive effects on coxofemoral flexibility test and body mobility test. In contrast, there was no significant improvement in anthropometric variables after intervention 10 weeks of exercise.