Abstract des Autors

Recent epidemiological studies indicate that individuals who maintain a physically active lifestyle are much less likely to develop impaired glucose tolerance and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Moreover, it was found that the protective effect of physical activity was strongest for individuals at highest risk of developing NIDDM. Reducing the risk of insulin resistance and NIDDM by regularly performed exercise is also supported by several aging studies. It has been found that older individuals who vigorously train on a regular basis exhibit a greater glucose tolerance and a lower insulin response to a glucose challenge than sedentary individuals of similar age and weight. While the evidence is substantial that aerobic exercise training can reduce the risk of impaired glucose tolerance and NIDDM, the evidence that exercise training is beneficial in the treatment of NIDDM is not particularly strong. Many of the early studies investigating the effects of exercise training on NIDDM could not demonstrate improvements in fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels, or glucose tolerance. The adequacy of the training programmes in many of these studies, however, is questionable. More recent studies using prolonged, vigorous exercise-training protocols have produced more favourable results. Verf.-Referat