BACKGROUND: The impact of burst high-intensity exercise on physiological, cardiometabolic, and biochemical variables compared with traditional moderate-intensity continuous exercise training (MICT) has yet to be assessed in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We compared the impact of multiple short-duration, high-intensity burst exercise sessions to MICT on cardiometabolic variables in patients with T2D. METHODS: Forty newly diagnosed patients with T2D not receiving lipid lowering or hypoglycemic medications were randomized to 40 minutes of MICT (60% of maximal heart rate) 5 days per week or 3 continuous bursts of 12 minutes of high-intensity exercise (85% of maximal heart rate) 5 days per week for 3 months. Body mass index, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), and lipid profile were assessed before and after 3 months of exercise training. RESULTS: Burst exercise resulted in greater body mass index reduction than did MICT (-2.1 +/- 1.2 kg/m2 versus -0.7 +/- 0.7 kg/m2, respectively; p < 0.05). There was a greater reduction at 3 months (p < 0.05) in HbA1C levels in the burst exercise group (8.14% +/- 0.49% to 7.32% +/- 0.39%) compared with the MICT group (8.18% +/- 0.35% to 7.94% +/- 0.41%). Compared with MICT, burst exercise was associated with a greater reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-11 versus -4%; p < 0.05) and a greater increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (22% versus 3%; all p < 0.05). After 3 months, patients in the burst exercise group attained greater exercise time on the treadmill (exercise capacity) than did those prescribed MICT (6.87 +/- 1.44 minutes versus 5.40 +/- 1.96 minutes; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Findings from the current study support better cardiometabolic benefits of burst exercise compared with MICT over 3 months in patients with newly diagnosed T2D.

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