Effect of short‐term acute moderate‐intensity resistance exercise on blood glucose in older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and sarcopenia

AIM: To investigate the effects of short-term acute moderate-intensity resistance exercise on blood glucose in older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and sarcopenia using ambulatory glucose monitoring technology. METHODS: This is a prospective intervention of an own-controlled before-and-after cohort study. A total of 24 older type 2 diabetes mellitus patients who met the enrollment criteria were selected, including 12 cases in the sarcopenia and 12 in the non-sarcopenia groups. First, they wore ambulatory glucose monitoring devices (Medtronic, Ipro2) and retained baseline data. Then they wore Ipro2 again and carried out two sessions of resistance exercise on alternate days. Blood glucose level, blood glucose fluctuation, and time in target range on the contrast and exercise days were compared and analyzed in both groups. RESULTS: The area under the curve of glucose level across 24 h and the mean blood glucose post exercise decreased (P < 0.05) in the sarcopenia group. On the exercise day, the coefficient of variation of glucose, the largest amplitude of glycemic excursions, amplitude of postprandial glucose excursions and low blood glucose index decreased, whereas the time in target range increased (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Short-term acute moderate-intensity resistance exercise is an effective and safe exercise modality, which can reduce blood glucose levels, blood glucose fluctuations and the risk of hypoglycemia, as well as improve the time in target range for older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and sarcopenia. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 653-659.