Effect of 12-week resistance exercise program on body composition, muscle strength, physical function, and glucose metabolism in healthy, insulin-resistant, and diabetic elderly Icelanders

• Published in: The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Vol. 67; no. 11; p. 1259
• Main Authors: Geirsdottir, O G, Arnarson, A, Briem, K, Ramel, A, Jonsson, P V, Thorsdottir, I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.11.2012
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Body Composition; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - diagnosis; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - therapy; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Glucose - metabolism; Humans; Iceland; Insulin Resistance - physiology; Linear Models; Male; Muscle Strength - physiology; Physical Fitness - physiology; Prediabetic State - diagnosis; Prediabetic State - therapy; Program Evaluation; Reference Values; Resistance Training - organization & administration; Risk Assessment; Statistics, Nonparametric; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Iceland
• ISSN: 1758-535X
• DOI: 10.1093/gerona/gls096

Insulin is a stimulator of skeletal muscle protein anabolism and insulin resistance might therefore negatively affect muscle protein metabolism. We investigated muscle mass and physical function before and after a resistance exercise program in participants with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in comparison to healthy controls. This was a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled intervention designed to investigate resistance training among older adults. Glucose metabolism status was not a selection criteria for the trial, and group designation was done retrospectively. Participants (N = 237, 73.7 ± 5.7 y, 58.2% women) participated in a 12-week resistance exercise program (3 times/week; three sets, six to eight repetitions at 75%-80% of the one-repetition maximum), designed to increase strength and muscle mass of major muscle groups. Body composition, muscular strength, timed up and go test, 6-minute walk for distance, and blood chemical variables were measured at baseline and endpoint. Participants completing the study (n = 213) experienced significant changes in muscle strength or muscle function, which did not differ significantly between healthy (n = 198), prediabetic (n = 20), and T2DM participants (n = 17). Changes in serum glucose during the intervention differed by group: only glucose improved significantly in the prediabetic group, glucose and triacylglycerol improved significantly in the healthy group, whereas no serum parameter improved significantly in the T2DM group. A 12-week resistance exercise program improves muscle strength and muscle function to a similar extent in healthy, prediabetic, and T2DM elderly people. However, according to our data, T2DM participants do not experience favorable changes in fasting glucose or HbA(1C).