Effective training of squat exercise : HiSquat trial for patients with diabetes

Background: Recent clinical problems in primary care medicine include metabolic syndrome (Met-S) as well as other problems, such as diabetes mellitus, locomotive syndrome (Loc-S) and flailty in middle-age to older people. Regarding exercise therapy for patients with Met-S and Loc-S, aerobic exercise and also resistance (anaerobic) exercise have been considered as necessary. Thus, simple and effective resistance exercise methods should be clarified.
Subjects and Methods: The subjects were 61 patients (male 36, female 25) with diabetes mellitus (66.9 ± 13.5 years old, mean ± SD). Subjects were instructed to perform a continuous squat exercises 5 minutes in morning and evening every day for 6 months, using the small exercise equipment ‘HiSquat”. The movements included 1) walking or jogging, 2) inner thigh exercise, 3) outer thigh exercise, 4) straight thigh exercise. Parameters were height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), abdominal circumference, thigh circumference and blood HbA1c value. The treatment of the subjects were not changed during the 6 months. HbA1c value was compared between 0 and 6 months.
Results: The fundamental data before the study were as follows: height 159.4 ± 8.4 cm, body weight 62.5 ± 13.8 kg, BMI 24.5 ± 4.7 kg/m2, abdominal circumference 86.8 ± 10.7 cm, thigh circumference 42.9 ± 6.4 cm, HbA1c 6.8 ± 0.9%. HbA1c value at 6 months was 6.4 ± 1.0%, with a statistically significant decrease of 0.4%. As for the correlation analyses, a positive significant correlation was observed between BMI and the thigh/height ratio, and a negative significant correlation was observed between age and thigh/waist ratio.
Conclusion: In this study, the HbA1c value was significantly decreased, which suggests the exercise effect of HiSquat. Our study provides fundamental data for the value of waist/thigh circumference in the exercise therapy, and also the efficacy of HiSquat; consequently it suggests the efficacy of HiSquat use for Met-S, Loc-S and flailty, which are increasing concerns in anti-aging medicine of Japan.