Randomized Controlled Trial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Transplant. Jul 18, 2022; 12(7): 184-194
Published online Jul 18, 2022. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v12.i7.184
Metabolic and functional effects of exercise training in diabetic kidney transplant recipients
Vassiliki Michou, Maria Nikodimopoulou, Asterios Deligiannis, Evangelia Kouidi
Vassiliki Michou, Asterios Deligiannis, Evangelia Kouidi, Sports Medicine Laboratory, School of Physical Education & Sport Science, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki 57001, Greece
Maria Nikodimopoulou, Transplant Surgery Clinic of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hippokration General Hospital, Thessaloniki 54642, Greece
Author contributions: Michou V designed this study and collected and analyzed the data; Michou V, Koudi E and Deligiannis A drafted the manuscript and gave final approval of the version to be published; Michou V and Koudi E took part in this study as cardiopulmonary exercise testing operators or assistants; Nikodimopoulou M recruited diabetic kidney transplant recipients to participate to the study.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Protocol number:117461/2019).
Clinical trial registration statement: This study is registered at Laboratory of Sports Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, TEFAA.
Informed consent statement: All study participant received all the necessary study information before the study enrollment and provided written informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Evangelia Kouidi, Doctor, PhD, Professor, Sports Medicine Laboratory, School of Physical Education & Sport Science, Aristotle University, Laboratory Building (3rd Floor), Thessaloniki 57001, Greece. kouidi@phed.auth.gr
Received: January 12, 2022
Peer-review started: January 12, 2022
First decision: March 16, 2022
Revised: April 20, 2022
Accepted: June 16, 2022
Article in press: June 16, 2022
Published online: July 18, 2022
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

According to the existing literature, kidney transplant (KT) recipients with diabetes mellitus seem to have low physical activity levels, while dyslipidemia and abnormal glucose profile are common cardiovascular risk factors.

Research motivation

As little is known about the effects of systematic exercise on the metabolic profile and cardiovascular risk of KT patients, we believe that this study will positively contribute to the literature gap.

Research objectives

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a mixed type 6-mo exercise program on functional capacity, glucose and lipid profile of KT patients with diabetes mellitus.

Research methods

KT patients were randomly divided into two groups. Both exercise and control groups underwent biochemical blood analysis, in order to determine lipid and glucose levels, at baseline and at the end of the study. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was also done to assess functional capacity.

Research results

At the end of the 6-mo study, fasting plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein and the peak oxygen uptake [(VO2)peak] were statistically improved in the exercise group, while a positive linear relationship between peak oxygen uptake and glycated hemoglobin was also found (r = 0.408, P = 0.03).

Research conclusions

According to the results, a 6-mo home-based mixed type exercise training program can significantly improve the metabolic profile and functional capacity of diabetic KT recipients.

Research perspectives

It is crucial for future larger randomized controlled trials to explore the side effects of exercise on the metabolic profile and respiratory responses of diabetic KT recipients.