Exploring the Synergistic Effects of Concurrent Exercise for Managing Type-II Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis

The effectiveness of concurrent exercise (CE) as an emerging approach for type-II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients was evaluated through a comprehensive search on Google Scholar, PubMed, Pedro, CINAHL, and Medline from 2015 to March 2023. Sixteen RCTs were selected which evaluated CE (aerobic + resistance in the same session) effects on a minimum of three days/week among T2DM patients, and the control group received usual care or no exercise. Studies that evaluated at least one glycaemic variable, i.e. HbA1C, fasting blood glucose level (FBGL), and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), were eligible. Intervention with a follow-up period of ≥8 weeks, patients of any age and gender, and literature in the English language were included. A rigorous review was performed using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool (RoB 2) to minimise biases, which include the randomisation process, deviation from intended intervention, missing outcome data, outcome measurement, and selection bias. CE significantly improved HbA1C (95% CI of -0.654 to 0.363, I2 = 84.92% moderate heterogeneity), FBGL (95% CI of -0.239 to 1.145, I2 = 93.74% - high level of heterogeneity), and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (95% CI of -0.593 to 0.544, I2 = 92.85% - high level of heterogeneity). Collectively, findings indicate the potential of CE as an intervention to impact glycaemic control in T2DM patients positively. However, the relatively high I² values suggest notable variability among studies, and further research to explore the factors contributing to this heterogeneity, exercise protocol along with progression, and duration of diabetes are needed, which is more challenging to determine a precise dose-response relationship. Therefore, more studies are required to provide thorough insights into these components for T2DM management. Key Words: Glycated haemoglobin, Glycaemic control, Insulin resistance, Physical exercise, Type-II diabetes mellitus.