Resistance exercise decreases the need for insulin in overweight women with gestational diabetes mellitus

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9378(03)00951-7Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

This study examines the effects of circuit-type resistance training on the need for insulin in women with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Study design

Thirty-two patients with gestational diabetes mellitus were randomly assigned either to a group that was treated with diet alone or to a group that was treated with diet plus resistance exercise.

Results

The number of women whose condition required insulin therapy was the same, regardless of treatment. However, a subgroup analysis that examined only overweight women (prepregnant body mass index, >25 kg/m2) showed a lower incidence of insulin use in the diet-plus-exercise group (P<.05). Women in the diet-plus-exercise group were prescribed less insulin (P<.05) and showed a longer delay from diagnosis to the initiation of insulin therapy (P<.05), compared with the diet-alone group.

Conclusion

Resistance exercise training may help to avoid insulin therapy for overweight women with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Section snippets

Methods

A preliminary chart review showed that approximately 50% of women with GDM in the Edmonton area are prescribed insulin treatment. To calculate the sample size, it was estimated that the incidence of insulin use would need to be reduced to 25% to be considered clinically significant. For 0.8 power and an α value of .05, 32 subjects would be required, equally randomized into each of the two groups to demonstrate statistical significance.

GDM was diagnosed in accordance with the Canadian Diabetes

Results

Thirty-eight women were recruited. Because of pregnancy-induced hypertension, the physicians of three women advised against the exercise program. Two women who were assigned randomly to exercise did not enter the program. One patient dropped from the study because of time constraints. Thirty-two women completed the study.

The groups were similar in physical characteristics (Table I). The diet-alone group had a significantly higher mean prepregnant body mass (weight) compared with the

Comment

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of resistance exercise training on the requirement for insulin therapy among women with GDM. The results demonstrate that, in our sample population, resistance training did not reduce significantly the number of women who were prescribed insulin to treat persistent hyperglycemia. The power to detect a 25% difference in insulin requirement was approximately 55%. Fifty-six subjects would have been required to demonstrate that the effect that

References (25)

  • F.L Gaudier et al.

    Recurrence of gestational diabetes mellitus

    Obstet Gynecol

    (1992)
  • R.G Moses

    The recurrence rate of gestational diabetes in subsequent pregnancies

    Diabetes Care

    (1996)
  • Cited by (145)

    • Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes mellitus

      2022, Exercise to Prevent and Manage Chronic Disease Across the Lifespan
    • Diabetes in pregnancy

      2021, Clinical Pharmacology During Pregnancy
    • A meta-analysis of the effects of resistance training on blood sugar and pregnancy outcomes

      2020, Midwifery
      Citation Excerpt :

      means the quality was unclear. Four studies (Huang, 2017; Fang et al., 2014; De Barros et al., 2010; Brankston et al., 2004) provided data on fasting blood glucose levels with a total of 242 participants, including 121 in the control group and 121 in the intervention group. Four studies were combined and the results of the heterogeneity test among the studies were P = 0.0009 and I2=82%.

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text