The role of physical activity on glucose transporter-4, fasting blood glucose level and glycate hemoglobin in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Medan, Indonesia

Background
Physical activity is essential to diabetic patients to improve insulin sensitivity so that diabetes can be well controlled.

Objectives
The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of physical activity on glucose transporter-4 (GLUT-4), fasting blood glucose level (FBGL) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Medan.

Material and methods
The study design was analytic with a cross-sectional approach. The study population was T2DM patients, and the number of samples was 83 people who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study protocol was approved by the research ethics committee at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, and all participants willing to participate in the study signed written informed consent. The physical activity of T2DM patients was assessed by using a global physical activity questionnaire (GPAQ). The GLUT-4 level was assessed by using the Human GLUT-4 kit, which is ELISA method based. FBGL and HbA1C levels were determined by using the Doronad affinity + Modified HPLC method. Data was analyzed by the one-way ANOVA statistic test and processed by using SPSS.

Results
The results showed that physical activity affected the level of GLUT-4, FBGL and HbA1C among T2DM patients.

Conclusions
Medications and diet were not the main determinants of controlled BGL in diabetic patients. However, physical activity is one of the four-element points (education, dietary, physical activity, medicine) in diabetes management that must be implemented to achieve a better quality of life in diabetic patients.