Carlos Eduardo Gonçalves da Costa Vasconcelos
◽
Maria Manuela Lobato Guimarães Ferreira Cabral
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Elisabete Conceição Pereira Ramos
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Romeu Duarte Carneiro Mendes
Abstract
To evaluate the impact of adding food education sessions to an exercise programme on cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged and older patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), a randomised parallel-group study was performed. Glycated haemoglobin, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, fat mass (FM) and blood pressure were assessed at baseline and after 9 months. The recruitment was made in three primary healthcare centres from Vila Real, Portugal. Thirty-three patients (65⋅4 ± 5⋅9 years old) were engaged in a 9-month community-based lifestyle intervention programme: a supervised exercise programme (EX; n = 15; combined aerobic, resistance, agility/balance and flexibility exercise; three sessions per week; 75 min per session); or the same exercise programme plus concomitant food education sessions (EXFE; n = 18; 15-min lectures and dual-task strategies during exercise (answer nutrition questions while walking); 16 weeks). Significant differences between groups were identified in the evolution of BMI (P < 0.001,
$\eta _{\rm p}^2 = 0{\cdot} 150$
) and FM (P < 0.001,
$\eta _{\rm p}^2 = 0{\cdot}130$
), with best improvements observed in the EXFE group. The addition of a simple food education dietary intervention to an exercise programme improved body weight and composition, but not glycaemic control and blood pressure in middle-aged and older patients with T2D.
Implementing Low-Cost, Community-Based Exercise Programs for Middle-Aged and Older Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: What Are the Benefits for Glycemic Control and Cardiovascular Risk?