The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Leptin, Fasting Blood Sugar, Blood Insulin Levels and Insulin Resistant Factor in Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background: Diabetes Mellitus is a heterogeneous group of different metabolic disorders that are characterized by chronic increase of blood glucose, cardiovascular diseases, and proteins, lipids and carbohydrate metabolism disorder. Leptin, that is a marker of fat mass in the body, has an important role in the body total metabolism and glucose homeostasis. <br/>Aim: To investigate the effect of 12 weeks of aerobic exercise on leptin and glucose homeostasis in patients with type II diabetes. <br/>Method: In this quasi-experimental study, 40 men with type П diabetes referring to Mashhad Parsian Clinic were allocated into two groups: aerobic (20 participants) and control (20 participants). Aerobic group performed selected exercises in 12 weeks (three 40 min sessions per week with %60-%70 heart rate reserves). The levels of leptin, fasting glucose, insulin and insulin resistant factor were measured. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 11.5 using t student and Paired t test, and also Mann-Whitney, and Wilcoxon tests. The level of significance was considered to be 95% (p<0.05). <br/>Results: The mean age of experimental group was 40.4 in experimental vs 38.3 in control group. The mean duration of diabetes mellitus was 5.38 and 5.20 in experimental and control group, respectively. There were significant differences in leptin (P<0.001), Fasting Blood Sugar (P<0.01), insulin (P<0.015) and insulin resistant factor (P<0.035) between aerobic exercise training and control group. <br/>Conclusion: Regular aerobic exercise causes insulin resistant reduction and glucose metabolic elevation and also reduction of leptin level in serum so that could have an important role in reduction of cardiovascular diseases and improvement of glucose metabolism in patients with type II diabetes mellitus.