Aerobic exercise capacity in normal adolescents and those with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Objective: To compare the aerobic exercise capacity between normal adolescents and those with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Methods: An experimental group with 72 individuals diagnosed with T1DM aged 9–20, time from diagnosis 4.9 ± 3.6 yr, without clinical cardiopulmonary disease or anemia and a control group (C) with 46 healthy individuals aged 10–18, matched by age, weight, height, body mass index, and lean and fat mass (kg), underwent an incremental aerobic exercising test on a motorized treadmill, where gas exchange variables – peak pulmonary ventilation (VE), peak oxygen consumption (VO2), and carbon dioxide production (CO2) – as well as their heart rate (HR) and time to exhaustion were recorded. Results: Body mass composition had no significant difference between experimental and control groups, and male and female subjects had similar exercising performances. The mean of hemoglobin A1c in the control group was 5.2 ± 0.9% and in the diabetic group 8.1 ± 2.2%; p = 0.000. The patients with T1DM showed lower levels of aerobic capacity than the control group. Their respective values for each variable were as follows: (i) maximal VO2 (T1DM: 41.57 ± 7.68 vs. C: 51.12 ± 9.94 mL/kg/min; p