Circuit resistance exercise improves glycemic control and adipokines in females with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The aim of study was to evaluate whether circuit resistance exercise (CE) improves glycemic control and adipokine levels in comparison with walking exercise (WE) in 15 adult postmenopausal Korean females with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The participants were randomly assigned to either the CE or WE group. Subjects exercised for 1 h, three times per week for 12 weeks. The parameters measured were body composition, respiratory rate, blood glucose, insulin and adipokines. The body composition of the CE group showed a significant reduction (all p < 0.05) in body weight, body mass index (BMI), and percentage of body fat and a significant increase in muscle mass. Respiratory function was also significantly increased in the CE group. Additionally, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) changed favorably in the CE group, as were the concentrations of adipokines such as retinol binding protein 4 (RBP-4) (p < 0.05), adiponectin (p < 0.01), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) (p < 0.01). In addition, significant correlations with CE were evident for homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and glucose (r = 0.69, p < 0.001), muscle mass and glucose (r = 0.45, p < 0.05), and muscle mass and HbA1c (r = 0.39, p < 0.05). The beneficial effects of CE include the development of muscle mass, which effectively increases glucose use and reduces the amount of insulin required. Thus, our results suggest that CE improves glycemic control and adipokines resulting from incrementally increased muscle mass and reductions of body weight, BMI and percentage of body fat for T2DM postmenopausal Korean women. Key pointsCE-induced weight loss and muscle mass increment increases the level of adiponectin secreted by adipocytes due to heightened glucose utilization and fat oxidation.Aerobic exercise decreases body weight, fat and adipokines in high intensity and frequency, while resistance exercise decreases these parameters in low intensity, time and frequency.CE can improves glycemic control and adipokines resulting from reduction of body fat postmenopausal Korean women with T2DM.