Abstract

Background: Sirtuin-1 regulates important cellular processes, including apoptosis, cellular senescence, and metabolism. Therefore, sirtuin-1 may be a novel therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks aerobic training on sirtuin-1 level and cardiometabolic parameters in women with type 2 diabetes.

Materials and Methods: In this semi-experimental study with pretest – posttest design, twenty diabetic women (aged 43.92±5.2 y) were randomly assigned to aerobic training or non-exercising control groups. Aerobic training program was performed 50-60 min/d, 3d/wk, for 2 months. Serum levels of sirtuin-1, body composition and metabolic parameters were assessed before and after the training period. Data were analyzed by paired T test.

Results: Adiposity indices, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL- cholesterol,blood glucose and insulin resistance index were significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control (p<0.05). Also, sirtuin-1 level was increased in the intervention group compared to the control (p<0.05).

Conclusion: These findings show that aerobic exercise is associated with an improvement in siruin-1 levels and metabolic indices in women with type 2 diabetes.