(Taylor & Francis, 2022) García Hermoso, Antonio; Ezzatvar, Yasmin; Huerta Uribe, Nidia; Alonso Martínez, Alicia; Chueca-Guindulain, María J.; Berrade-Zubiri, Sara; Izquierdo Redín, Mikel; Ramírez Vélez, Robinson; Ciencias de la Salud; Osasun Zientziak
The aim of the study is to evaluate whether exercise interventions are associated with improved
glycaemic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), and to
examine its relationship with the characteristics of the intervention (i.e. type, intensity, length,
and duration of the sessions). Eligible criteria were randomised controlled trials of youth aged 6–
18 years with T1DM, participating in an exercise-based intervention where glycaemic control is
measured (i.e. glycated haemoglobin [HbA1c]). Pooled effect sizes (Hedges’g) were calculated
using random-effects inverse-variance analyses. Fourteen studies enrolling 509 patients were
analysed. Effect size was expressed as Hedges’ g to correct for possible small sample bias. Overall,
HbA1c levels in the exercise group (g = –0.38 95% confidence interval [CI], –0.66 to –0.11; mean
difference [MD] = –0.62%) were reduced compared with the control group. Concurrent training (g
= –0.63 95%CI, –1.05 to –0.21), high-intensity exercise (g = –0.43 95%CI, –0.83 to –0.03),
interventions ≥24 weeks (g = –0.92 95%CI, –1.44 to –0.40), and sessions ≥60 minutes (g = –0.71
95%CI, –1.05 to –0.08) showed larger changes (MD = –0.66% to 1.30%). In conclusion, our study
suggests that programmes longer than 24 weeks with at least 60 min/session of high-intensity
concurrent exercise may serve as a supportive therapy to metabolic control in youth with T1DM.
