Original article - Effect of different resistance training intensities on endothelial function in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review.

AIMS

The objective of this systematic review was to analyze the effects of different resistance training (RT) intensities compared with group control (GC) or control conditions (CON) on endothelial function (EF) in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

Seven electronic databases were searched Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, Scopus, PEDro and CINAHL) until February 2021.

RESULTS

This systematic review retrieved a total of 2,991 studies of which 29 articles fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Four studies were included in the systematic review compared RT intervention with GC or CON. One study demonstrated an increase in blood flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery immediately after (95% CI: 3.0% to 5.9%; p < 0.05), 60 min after (95% CI: 0.8 % to 4.2%; p < 0.05) and 120 min after (95%CI: 0.7% to 3.1%; p < 0.05) a single high-intensity resistance training session (RPE ∼ 5 "hard"), compared to the control condition. Nevertheless, this increase was not significantly demonstrated in three longitudinal studies (more than 8 weeks).

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review suggest that a single session of high-intensity resistance training improves the EF of people with T2DM. More studies are needed to establish the ideal intensity and effectiveness for this training method.