A comparison of the health benefits of reduced-exertion high-intensity interval training (REHIT) and moderate-intensity walking in type 2 diabetes patients

Abstract

Reduced-exertion high-intensity interval training (REHIT) is a genuinely time-efficient intervention that can improve aerobic capacity and insulin sensitivity in sedentary individuals. The present study compared the effects of REHIT and moderate-intensity walking on health markers in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a counter-balanced crossover study. Sixteen men with T2D (mean ± SD age: 55 ± 5 years, body mass index: 30.6 ± 2.8 kg·m−2, maximal aerobic capacity: 27 ± 4 mL·kg−1·min−1) completed 8 weeks of REHIT (three 10-min low-intensity cycling sessions/week with two “all-out” 10–20-s sprints) and 8 weeks of moderate-intensity walking (five 30-min sessions/week at an intensity corresponding to 40%–55% of heart-rate reserve), with a 2-month wash-out period between interventions. Before and after each intervention, participants underwent an incremental fitness test, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), a whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan, and continuous glucose monitoring. REHIT was associated with a significantly larger increase in maximal aerobic capacity compared with walking (7% vs. 1%; time × intervention interaction effect:p< 0.05). Both REHIT and walking decreased resting mean arterial pressure (−4%; main effect of time:p< 0.05) and plasma fructosamine (−5%; main effect of time:p< 0.05). Neither intervention significantly improved OGTT-derived measures of insulin sensitivity, glycaemic control measured using continuous glucose monitors, blood lipid profile, or body composition. We conclude that REHIT is superior to a 5-fold larger volume of moderate-intensity walking in improving aerobic fitness, but similar to walking REHIT is not an effective intervention for improving insulin sensitivity or glycaemic control in T2D patients in the short term.