The Effect of Continuous and Interval Training on Glycogen Storage of Gastrocnemius Muscle and Serum Levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α & Interleukin-6 in Diabetic Rats

Objective: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most frequent type of metabolic disorder. Here, we evaluated the effect of continuous and interval training on glycogen storage of gastrocnemius muscle and serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: This study was experimental. 28 rats were randomly divided into four groups. The interval training included 10 sets of one-minute activity with 50% intensity and continuing training included 8 weeks running at the speed of 15 to 28 m/min. Serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α and glycogen storage of gastrocnemius muscle were measured using specific ELISA Kits. SPSS 23 software was used. Results: The level of fast blood glucose and TNF-α in diabetic+continuous training and diabetic+interval training groups were significantly lower than the control-diabetic group (P-value< 0.0001). In return, the level of Insulin, IL-6, and glycogen storage in diabetic+continuous training and diabetic+interval training groups were significantly higher than the control-diabetic group (P-value< 0.0001). There was a significant difference in value of glycogen storage between diabetic+continuous training and diabetic+interval training groups (P-value< 0.0001). Conclusion: Continuous and interval exercises significantly decreased the levels of these inflammatory mediators in the diabetic rats which were subsequently associated with a significant decrease of blood glucose, insulin tolerance, and improvement of glycogen contents. Both interval and continuous exercises made significant changes, but interval exercises had better effects than continuous exercises.