Adapted recreational football Small Sided Games improves cardiac capacity, body composition and muscular fitness in patients with type 2 diabetes: results from a pilot study

Background: The usefulness of adapted small-side games (SSGs) in improving cardiac function in subjects with T2DM is still debated. Here we evaluated the effects of 18weeks Indoor Muscular Activation training (6 wks; IMA) followed by adapted SSGs football training (12wks) on cardiac function, muscular fitness, Body Composition and adiponectin expression in sedentary T2DM volunteers. Methods: 6 T2DM patients underwent IMA protocol of 6 wks, 2/wk followed by 12 wks SSGs (5vs5; once a wk) training. Glucose, lipid profile and serum homocysteine concentration, Body Composition (BC), bone mineral density (DEXA), were determined at baseline and after 18wks (IMA+SSGs). VO2max and muscular fitness were recorded at baseline and after IMA (6wks) and SSGs (12 wks), respectively. Results: No significant differences were found for VO2max and muscular fitness after 6wks of IMA. After 18wks (6 wks IMA+ 12 wks SSGs) of training, significant improvements were found in the following parameters: work capacity, VO2peack, Ventilation (VEpeack), breathing reserve consumption and oxygen uptake efficiency (OUES) (p