The effect of blood flow-restrictive resistance training on the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in middle-aged patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of blood flow-restrictive resistance training (BFR-RT) on improving metabolic abnormalities, blood pressure (BP), obesity, and 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk in middle-aged patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We conducted a parallel-group, single blind randomized controlled trial. Participants who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into control group, BFR-RT group and aerobic exercise (AE) group. Control group received health education and follow-up; Two exercise groups received supervised collective training for a period of six months, three times per week. AE group trained at moderate-intensity for 60 minutes each time, while BFR-RT group trained at low-intensity for 40 minutes each time. The primary outcomes were change in 10-year ASCVD risk index and level, and the secondary outcomes included changes in fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), blood lipids, BP, and obesity level within and across the three groups at baseline, the third and sixth months of intervention. Among 93 individuals (control group, n=31; AE, n=30; BFR-RT, n=32) were analyzed. At baseline, there were no significant differences in various indicators among the three groups (p>0.05). After intervention, the 10-year ASCVD risk index and risk level of both exercise groups significantly decreased compared to the control group and baseline (p