The study will explore how high-intensity interval training (HIIT) affects hormones produced by bone as well as sex hormones in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Patients with T2D typically have lower muscle and bone health as well as lower sex hormone levels compared to individuals without T2D, and this can affect health and quality of life.
Understanding how the systems in the body communicate and the effects of exercise can lead to better treatment for T2D as well as improve health and quality of life.
All participants will undertake fitness and health testing. They will then be randomised to either exercise training (three sessions of HIIT per week for ten weeks) or control (usual activities for ten weeks). Participants in the control group are offered exercise training after completing the study as a courtesy.
Participants will undergo the following assessments free of charge:
- body composition scan (bone and lean mass) using DXA
- blood and urine sampling
- optional muscle and fat sampling before and after exercise
- exercise testing
- lifestyle questionnaires focusing on nutrition, mood and physical activity
- measure of vascular function.