Sex-Specific HbA1c Responses to Structured Exercise Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Document Type

Conference Presentation

Department

Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences Department

Conference Title

American College of Sports Medicine - Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise conference

Organization

American College of Sports Medicine

Location

Orlando, FL

Date of Presentation

5-30-2019

Journal Publication

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

ISSN

0195-9131

DOI

10.1249/01.mss.0000561405.06744.80

Volume

51

Issue

6S

First Page

299

Last Page

300

Abstract

In the United States, 1 in every 9 adult women and 1 in every 8 adult men have diabetes; 95% of these cases are Type 2 diabetes. The efficacy of exercise training as an intervention for treatment is likely attributed to a combination of biological and environmental factors, including age, physical fitness, and sex. Despite the large number of exercise trials observing the effects of physical activity on Type 2 diabetics, few studies compare the benefits of the intervention exclusive to the participants’ sex. PURPOSE: To evaluate sex-specific glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) changes to structured exercise among males and females with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: 24 males and 40 females with Type 2 diabetes were enrolled in an exercise program involving aerobic activity, resistance exercise, and flexibility training. At the initial evaluation, subjects underwent a health history exam, multiple assessments of physical fitness, cardiometabolic testing, and an assessment of HbA1c. Following 10 weeks of bi-weekly exercise sessions, participants that remained active in the program were reassessed. A repeated measures ANOVA with Greenhouse-Geisser correction compared HbA1c levels at baseline and follow-up between sexes. RESULTS: Subjects were assigned to “completers” (N=39) or “non-completers” (N=28) based on adherence to the exercise program. At baseline, HbA1c levels did not differ between completers and non-completers (p=0.234). Sex was not related to completion of the trial (p=0.660) or baseline HbA1c (p=0.117). The repeated measures ANOVA found HbA1c to improve with exercise (F=7.878, p=0.008) and an interaction effect with sex (F=6.734, p=0.014) whereby males decreased more than females (0.61 compared to 0.02). CONCLUSION: In our sample, a structured exercise program induced greater reductions in HbA1c among male participants versus female participants. These findings help illustrate clinical importance for personalizing sex-specific exercise programs for persons at risk for or diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

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