The Study
Is isoenergetic high-intensity interval exercise superior to moderate-intensity continuous exercise for cardiometabolic risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus? A single-blinded randomized controlled study
This study gave different types of exercise to people with type 2 diabetes and saw what happened after 12 weeks. Because they randomly picked who got which exercise, we can say the exercise probably caused the changes we saw — like better breathing ability — but not that it fixed their diabetes.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested two kinds of bike workouts—short bursts of intense pedaling and steady moderate pedaling—on people with type 2 diabetes to see which one helped more.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 548 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even though people got fitter, their blood sugar didn't get better, and the intense workout didn't help more than the moderate one.
- 2Both workouts improved fitness (VO2peak) but didn't lower blood sugar (HbA1c) more than no exercise.
- 3Only the moderate workout improved waist measurements and heart responses.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Sport Science
Year
2023
Authors
G. Findikoglu, Abdurrahim Altınkapak, G. Yaylali
Related Content
Claims (4)
In adults with type 2 diabetes, doing either high-intensity interval training or moderate continuous cycling three times a week for 12 weeks does not change HbA1c, blood glucose, insulin resistance, blood lipids, cardiovascular measures, body weight, body composition, or fat around the abdomen and organs compared to not exercising.
In adults with type 2 diabetes, 12 weeks of either high-intensity interval training or moderate-intensity cycling three times per week increases maximal oxygen uptake compared to no exercise, but the two training methods produce the same improvement in oxygen uptake.
After 12 weeks of supervised exercise, adults with type 2 diabetes who did moderate-intensity continuous training showed greater improvements in heart function, body measurements, and abdominal fat than those who did high-intensity interval training.
Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise uses fat as the main energy source and is linked to fewer cases of overtraining and injury than high-intensity exercise.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.