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The following is a summary of “Comparing the impacts of different exercise interventions on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a literature review and meta-analysis,” published in the May 2025 issue of Frontiers in Endocrinology by Xing et al.   

Exercise interventions have been recommended as a method for diabetes management, enabling individuals with diabetes to achieve glycemic control, increase muscle volume, improve insulin sensitivity, and enhance blood lipids, blood pressure, and cardiovascular health, although few studies have been published on their effects in recent years.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate the evidence on the effects of various exercise interventions, including high-intensity interval training (HIIT), method training (MT), aerobic exercise training (AET), resistance training (RT), and combined training (CBT), in individuals with diabetes.  

They reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that analyzed the effects of exercise interventions on blood glucose and blood lipids in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A network meta-analysis was executed to compare the effects of 5 exercise interventions on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The study adhered to the PRISMA Protocol, and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool 2.0 was utilized to evaluate the risk of bias.  

The results showed that 25 RCTs with 1,711 subjects indicated that exercise interventions, compared with conventional treatment, reduced blood glucose indexes, including HbA1c, FBG, TC, TG, HDL, and LDL. The RT and AET reduced TC, while HIIT, MT, AET, and CBT improved HDL levels. The MT and RT also reduced LDL, and MT lowered HbA1c, TG, and LDL levels and the RT was found to lower cholesterol, and HIIT improved FBG and HDL levels.  

Investigators concluded that MT was the optimal exercise to improve HbA1c, TG, and LDL, while HIIT improved FBG and HDL, and RT effectively lowered cholesterol levels. 

Source: frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1495131/full