Effects of nordic walking and exercise in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial

Both Nordic walking and Exercise on Prescription have potential as elements in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. These programs are recommended, but their effectiveness has not yet been established. The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of these 2 interventions compared with standard information on physical activity.

Single-blinded, randomized, controlled intervention study.

Sixty-eight patients (37 men and 31 women) were randomized into 3 groups: Nordic walking (NW; n = 22), Exercise on Prescription (EP; n = 24), and control (CG; n = 22).

: Patients were recruited from a diabetes outpatient clinic and via newspaper advertisement.

Consisted of a 4-month intervention period followed by an 8-month follow-up, during which the participants were recommended to train on their own.

: HbA1c.

: There was no difference in HbA1c when comparing the intervention groups relative to the control group: DeltaNW = -0.4% [95% confidence intervals (CI), -0.9% to 0.1%] and DeltaEP = -0.2% (95% CI, -0.6% to 0.2%) after 4 months; DeltaNW = 0.0% (95% CI, -0.6% to 0.5%) and DeltaEP = 0.3% (95% CI, -0.3% to 0.9%) after 12 months. However, fat mass assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) decreased significantly in the NW group after 4 months [-1.0 kg (95% CI, -1.7 to 0.1)] and after 12 months in both NW [-1.8 kg (95% CI, -3.2 to -0.4)] and EP [-1.5 kg (95% CI, -2.9 to -0.05)] groups. No significant changes in other variables.

Four-month exercise programs at moderate intensity of either Nordic walking or Exercise on Prescription did not significantly improve HbA1c in patients with type 2 diabetes either at the end of the program or at the follow-up.