Adaptations to 12 weeks of walking in women aged 65-74 years with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

The recent premature termination of the intensive glucose-lowering cohort of a major National Institute of Health study into diabetes control, due to increased mortality, has renewed interest in the primary goal(s) of type 2 diabetes management. There is accumulating evidence that improved prevention and management of the associated complications of type 2 diabetes (e.g., cardiovascular diseases; CVD) should be specifically considered rather than solely implementing glycaemic control, particularly for older individuals. The principle aim of this thesis was therefore to investigate the interactions between various known markers of CVD in older women with type 2 diabetes, and subsequently implement an individualised 12-wk walking intervention with the primary goal of improving those markers of CVD. The subjects of the present studies were all 65-74 yr old women with uncomplicated type 2 diabetes that were able to walk unaided and were not using medications known to interfere with any dependent variables. While a control group of non-diabetic women aged 65-74 yr was recruited for comparative purposes in the acute assessments in Study One, the subjects with type 2 diabetes acted as their own control in Studies Two and Three by visiting the laboratory for baseline assessments over a 6-wk lead-in period prior to exercise training. Subjects were randomly allocated into two groups where exercise frequency and session duration were manipulated (Group 1: 2 x 60 min·wk-1 or Group 2: 4 x 30 min·wk-1), but intensity and accumulated weekly duration of exercise were consistent between groups (100% gas-exchange threshold; 120 min·wk-1).