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Resistance Training May Reduce Insulin Use in
Gestational Diabetes
posted 02/13/04
Overweight women seem to benefit more from such an exercise program than their lean counterparts.
Resistance training during pregnancy appears to improve glycemic control in overweight women with gestational diabetes, investigators in Canada report.
The research team, based at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, notes that resistance exercise may be preferred over aerobic exercise, which is also recognized as a means of treating gestational diabetes. Resistance training improves strength and posture, which could alleviate some of the discomfort associated with advanced pregnancy, and may be more easily performed than aerobic exercise.
In the study, led by Gabrielle Brankston, 32 women were randomly assigned to a standard diabetic diet alone or to a diabetic diet plus exercise. The subjects were at approximately 29 weeks gestation. The exercise regimen involved eight exercises in a circuit-type resistance training three times per week. They report their findings in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology for January.
The amount of insulin prescribed was significantly lower in the diet group, 0.22 units/kg versus 0.48 units/kg. In subgroup analysis of women with a prepregnant BMI > 25kg/m, only 3 of 10 in the exercise group required insulin therapy, versus 8 of 10 in the diet-alone group.
The outcomes--gestational age at delivery, rate of caesarean deliveries and birth weight-- were similar in the two groups.
The authors found that those in the exercise group participated in an average of two sessions per week rather than the recommended three weekly sessions. Beginning an exercise program earlier in pregnancy and improved compliance with the exercise regimen may eliminate the need for insulin altogether, they suggest.
Dr. Brankston's team recommends an investigation with a larger sample size and a direct comparison between aerobic and resistance training.
Source: Diabetes In Control.com: Am J Obstet Gynecol 2004;190:188-193.
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