RESUMO
Background: Control of diabetes involves maintaining normal or near normal blood glucose levels through appropriate therapy: insulin; oral hypoglycemic agents; diet and exercise. The aim of this study was to investigate the blood glucose response to aerobic exercise training among subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH); Enugu. Materials and Methods: Subjects with diagnosis of T2DM attending the diabetes clinic of the UNTH participated in the study. A total of 54 subjects with T2DM (fasting blood sugar [FBS] of between110 and 225 mg/dl) were randomized into two age matched groups: Exercise (n = 30) and control (n = 24) groups. The exercise group involved in an 8 week continuous training (60-79 heart rate [HR] max) of between 45 and 60 min; 3 times/week; while the controls group remain sedentary. Systolic blood pressure (SBP); diastolic blood pressure (DBP); aerobic fitness (VO 2 max) and FBS were assessed. Analysis of covariance and Pearson correlation tests were used in data analysis. Results: We observed significant effect of exercise training program on; SBP (P = 0.000); DBP (P = 0.007); FBS (P = 0.001) and VO 2 max (P = 0.013). Changes in VO 2 max significantly and negatively correlated with changes in FBS (r = -0.220) at P 0.05. Conclusion: It was concluded that aerobic exercise program is an effective adjunct in controlling blood glucose level among type 2 diabetic subjects