The effects of eight weeks of resistance training on serum levels IL-15, IL-6, TNF-α and insulin resistance in older type 2 diabetic men

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of eight weeks of resistance training on serum levels of IL-15, IL-6, TNF-α and insulin resistance in elderly men with type 2 diabetes. For this purpose, twenty elderly man with type 2 diabetes (age: 72.45 ± 4.97, weight: 79.77 ± 12.57, BMI: 27.91 ± 4.7) were randomly assigned to two groups of resistance training (n =10) and control (n = 10). Resistance Training was performed for eight weeks for 3 sessions/wk, 8 main movement including 3 sets with 10 repetitions at 70% 1RM. The paired t test and ANCOVA were used to analyze data in the significance level of 0.05. Blood samples were collected at baseline and 48 hours following the last training session. Serum levels of IL-15, IL-6, TNF-α, insulin and glucose were measured by ELISA method. The results of data analysis showed that eight weeks of resistance training led to an increase in serum levels of IL-15 and a decrease in serum levels of insulin, glucose and insulin resistance. However, it had no significant effect on serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α. Based on the results of this study, it seems that resistance training may lead to improved insulin resistance in elderly men with type 2 diabetes by increasing the circulating levels of IL-15