Blood glucose response to aerobic exercise training program among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu South-East, Nigeria

Control of all types of diabetes involves maintaining normal or near-normal blood glucose levels through the appropriate therapy: insulin, oral hypoglycemic agents, diet, and exercise. The aim of this study was to investigate the blood glucose response to aerobic exercise training among subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu. Age-matched randomized controlled trial design was used; subjects with diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus attending the diabetes clinic of the UNTH participated in the study. Fifty-four subjects (N=54) with type 2 diabetes mellitus (fasting blood sugar (FBS) of between 110 and 225 mg/dl) were age-matched and randomized into two groups: exercise (n=30) and control (n=24) groups. The exercise group was involved in an 8-week continuous training (60-79% heart rate (HR) max) of between 45 and 60 min, three times per week, while the control group remained sedentary. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), VO2 max, and FBS were assessed. Analysis of co-variance and Pearson correlation tests were used in data analysis. Findings of the study revealed significant effect of exercise training program on SBP, DBP, FBS, and VO2 max. Changes in VO2 max significantly and negatively correlated with changes in FBS (r=-.220) at p<0.05. It was concluded that aerobic exercise program is an effective adjunct therapy in controlling blood glucose level among type 2 diabetic subjects.