Glycemic reductions following water- and land-based exercise in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

•Water- and land-based aerobic exercise sessions reduce equally glycemia.•Mesocycles with different intensities result in similar glucose reductions.•Progression of intensity is important for maintenance of glucose reductions.

PurposeTo assess the acute glucose responses to the first sessions of three mesocycles of water- and land-based aerobic exercise.MethodsThe water-based exercise group (WBE, n = 14; 54.1 ± 9.1 years) performed deep water walking and/or running, while the land-based exercise group (LBE, n = 11; 60.1 ± 7.3 years) performed walking and/or running on athletic track. In the first mesocycle, patients trained at 85–90% of their anaerobic threshold (AT) for 35 min, progressing to 90–95% of the AT in the second mesocycle, and 95–100% of the AT in the last mesocycle. Capillary glucose was assessed before and immediately after the first session of each mesocycle.ResultsThere was glycemic reduction (p < 0.001) in all sessions, with relative reductions of 19%, 29% and 24% for the WBE and 24%, 29% and 27% for the LBE in the mesocycles 1, 2 and 3, respectively. There were no found differences between groups and between mesocycles.ConclusionsThe acute response of blood glucose to aerobic training between 85 and 100% of the heart rate of AT is effective and independent of the environment in which it is performed. Clinical trial reg. no. NCT01956357, clinicaltrials.gov.