Effect of Exercise on Blood Glucose Metabolism of Type 2 Diabetes Patients in East Asian Population: A Meta-analysis

Objective To explore the effects of different exercise prescriptions on glycemic metabolism in East Asian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to compare the differences in the impact of population characteristics and exercise components on glycemic metabolism. Methods A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, EmBase, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform to identify relevant studies published from database inception to June 15, 2024, on the effects of exercise on glycemic metabolism in East Asian patients with T2DM. The study type was limited to randomized controlled trials (RCTs), where the intervention group received exercise interventions and the control group did not. Two researchers independently screened the literature based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and extracted relevant data. Publication bias was assessed using Egger’s test in Stata 17.0 and funnel plots in RevMan 5.3. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3. Results A total of 21 RCTs involving 1289 participants (675 in the intervention group and 614 in the control group) were included. Publication bias assessment indicated overall good quality of the included studies. The random-effects model showed that exercise interventions significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (MD = -1.31 mg/L, 95% CI: -1.55 to -1.07, P < 0.001), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (MD = -0.34, 95% CI: -0.45 to -0.22, P < 0.001), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (MD = -0.39, 95% CI: -0.54 to -0.23, P < 0.001), and fasting insulin (MD = -0.71 uIU/mL, 95% CI: -1.18 to -0.24, P = 0.003) in the intervention group. Heterogeneity was observed in the effects of different exercise modalities on glycemic metabolism. Aerobic exercise (MD = -1.49 mg/L, 95% CI: - 2.53 to -0.44, P = 0.005) and combined exercise (MD = -1.41 mg/L, 95% CI: -1.87 to -0.95, P < 0.001) were more effective than resistance exercise in reducing fasting blood glucose. Combined exercise (MD = -0.47, 95% CI: -0.81 to -0.31, P = 0.007) was superior to aerobic and resistance exercise in reducing HbA1c. Only aerobic exercise (MD = -0.48, 95% CI: -0.89 to -0.07, P = 0.004) and combined exercise (MD = -0.35, 95% CI: -0.69 to -0.01, P = 0.040) significantly reduced HOMA-IR, with aerobic exercise showing a greater effect than combined exercise. Subgroup analyses based on age group, exercise duration, session length, frequency, and intensity revealed that aerobic exercise performed less than 5 times per week for no more than 1 hour per session significantly improved fasting blood glucose in East Asian patients with T2DM. Conclusions Exercise interventions can improve glycemic control and reduce insulin resistance in East Asian patients with T2DM. Aerobic exercise and combined exercise are more effective exercise prescriptions for glycemic management in this population.