| Purpose: Insulin resistance plays a key role in the onset and development of type 2 diabetes
mellitus (T2DM) and its complications. In this study, we evaluated the effect of swim
training on insulin resistance in diabetic rats.
Methods: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=10): sedentary
control (Con), sedentary diabetic (Dia), swim trained control (Exe) and swim trained
diabetic (Dia+Exe) rats. Diabetes was induced by high fat diet (HFD) and a low dose of
streptozotocin (35 mg/kg, i.p). In trained groups, one week after the induction of diabetes,
animals were subjected to swimming (60 min/5 days a week) for 10 weeks. At the end of
training, fasting blood sugar (FBS), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), fasting/basal
insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, insulin resistance index, homeostasis
model assessment method (HOMA-IR), triglycerides (TG,) total cholesterol (TCh), and
high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in blood were measured.
Results: Swimming significantly improved OGTT (P<0.01) and HOMA-IR (P<0.01). Swim
training also significantly decreased FBS (p<0.01), fasting/basal insulin (P<0.01), HbA1C
(p<0.01), TG (P<0.05), and TCh (P<0.05) levels. It also significantly increased HDL
(p<0.05) level.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that swim training improved glycemic control and
insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes caused by high fat diet in male rats. |