Effect of resistance training on HbA1c in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and the moderating effect of changes in muscular strength: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Methodology

Meta-analysis

Population

30 RCTs published 1998-2020 in the systematic review; primary meta-analysis 20 studies, n=1172 adults aged ≥18 y with type 2 diabetes

Intervention

Resistance training only (RT combined with aerobic exercise or diet was excluded) vs. control, wait-list control or sham exercise; secondary comparison vs. aerobic training

Findings

Resistance training alone produced a small but significant reduction in HbA1c of about 0.39 percentage points versus control. The size of the strength improvement significantly moderated the glycaemic benefit — clients who got substantially stronger achieved larger HbA1c reductions. Resistance training was not significantly different from aerobic training, supporting RT as a legitimate first-line modality.

Outcome measures

HbA1c (primary); moderators: change in muscular strength/fitness, risk of bias, intervention duration

Limitations

Moderate-to-high heterogeneity (I2=69.2%); no included study achieved overall low risk of bias; internal inconsistency in reported study/participant counts; only 12 of 20 primary-analysis studies measured muscular strength.

Original source

DOI: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2021-002595 · PMID: 35361620