High-Intensity Interval Training Enhances Glycemic Control and Cardiometabolic Health in Type 2 Diabetes: Study Finds

The researchers note that high-intensity interval training is being explored as a promising alternative to traditional exercise for individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, previous studies have used different exercise routines, comparison groups, and outcome measures, making it difficult to draw clear conclusions. To address this, Eric Tsz-Chun Poon, Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, and colleagues conducted an umbrella review to provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of HIIT on blood sugar control and other important heart and metabolic health outcomes in people with T2DM, comparing it with moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) and no exercise (CON).

For this purpose, the researchers conducted an umbrella review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Overviews of Reviews guideline. They searched seven databases up to August 2024 and included systematic reviews with meta-analyses comparing HIIT with MICT or no exercise (CON). Two reviewers independently handled the literature search, data extraction, and quality assessment using the AMSTAR-2 tool. After a thorough evaluation, ten systematic reviews with meta-analyses, covering 76 primary studies and 2,954 participants, met the inclusion criteria.

Key findings are as follows:

• HIIT significantly improved glycosylated hemoglobin levels compared to no exercise (CON) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT).
• Cardiorespiratory fitness showed notable improvement with HIIT compared to both CON and MICT.
• HIIT effectively enhanced glycemic parameters, including fasting blood glucose, fasting blood insulin, and HOMA-IR.
• There were positive effects on body composition, lipid profiles, and blood pressure with HIIT.
• Most systematic reviews included in the analysis received moderate to low-quality scores based on the AMSTAR-2 assessment.

In conclusion, the researchers highlighted HIIT as an effective exercise strategy for improving glycemic control and certain cardiometabolic health outcomes in individuals with T2DM. Their umbrella review provides up-to-date evidence supporting the benefits of HIIT compared to non-exercise control groups and conventional training methods like MICT.

"While HIIT shows promise in enhancing cardiometabolic health, further research is needed to determine its additional advantages over MICT. Ongoing studies and implementation efforts are essential to optimize HIIT's integration into diabetes management plans and assess its long-term effects and safety," they wrote.

Reference:

Poon ET, Li HY, Kong APS, Little JP. Efficacy of high-intensity interval training in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Diabetes Obes Metab. Published online February 5, 2025. doi:10.1111/dom.16220