Bazil Hunte and John Jaquish
Objective: To determine the efficacy of osteogenic loading (OL) on glycemic control in older adults with pre-type 2 diabetes.
Research design and methods: We performed a 24-week observational trial in 21 adults (10 females and 11 males; mean age 62 (+/- 11.8 SD) years) with pre-type 2 diabetes. Subjects were randomly asked by their general practitioner (GP) to participate in supervised OL therapy, which had previously been used to treat bone mass loss but had been anecdotally suggested to have positive implications on patients who also had metabolic dysfunction. Metabolic syndrome abnormalities, mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, and mental wellbeing markers were determined before and after the intervention.
Results: Twenty-four weeks of OL therapy (sessions one time per week) resulted in significantly reduced mean HbA1c levels from 6.37 (+/- 1.11 SD) to 5.81 (+/- 1.01 SD) (P<0.05). No significant weight or BMI change occurred and no adverse events or complications occurred with any of the test subjects.
Conclusions: OL therapy as a supplement to standard care is both feasible and effective in improving glycemic control among moderate-risk adults with poor glycemic control. Significant reductions were measured in HbA1c levels amongst group subjects by 8.8% (+/- 4.1% SD) from baseline to post-test without weight or BMI change.