Effect Of Physical Activity And Lifestyle Changes On Insulin Resistance In Patients After Kidney Transplantation

Abstract Background and Aims The incidence of post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) after kidney transplantation (KT) is high and ranges from 15-30%. Insulin resistance (IR) at the time of KT is the most significant risk factor for the development of PTDM in patients after KT, as demonstrated by several analyzes. It is possible to reduce the high incidence of PTDM by influencing just modifiable risk factors, including obesity and the associated IR. The aim of this work is to determine the effect of precisely determined physical activity and lifestyle changes on IR and other risk factors for PTDM in patients after KT. Method This is a prospective controlled analysis, which included 44 patients after primary KT in the Martin Transplant Center. Half consisted of a study group (n = 22) whose patients were assigned to perform regular physical activity. The primary goal was to complete at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical exertion per week. They performed an aerobic or combined (aerobic + anaerobic) type of sports activity. Monitoring was provided by a sports tracker (Xiaomi Mi Band 3 compatible with Mi Fit mobile application). The other half was made up of a control group. The exclusion criterion at that time was already diagnosed with diabetes mellitus or a pre-diabetic condition. IR was assessed using the HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance) index from fasting blood glucose and insulinemia values. Each patient underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT) at the end of follow-up. Patients in both groups have the same immunosuppressive protocol. The duration of follow-up was 6 months. Results In the observed group we univariately found in the 3rd and 6th month of monitoring significantly lower waist circumference (P = 0.0437, P = 0.0372), better graft function (P = 0.0036, P = 0.0137), lower value glycemia (P = 0.0016, P = 0.0003), C-peptide (P = 0.0447, P = 0014) and lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) at 6 months (P = 0.0444) compared to the control group. We confirmed a statistically significantly lower IR at 6 months (P = 0.0202) and fasting blood glucose at 3 and 6 months (P = 0.0227) by multivariate analysis in the observed group. After the end of the follow-up, we identified statistically significantly fewer patients with a negative oGTT result in the control group (P < 0.0001), significantly more patients with impaired glucose tolerance, fasting hyperglycemia (P = 0.0078) and diagnosed with PTDM (P = 0.0212). In the control group, we found a statistically significant increase in glycemia at 30 (P = 0.0034) as well as at 120 minutes (P = 0.0011) during oGTT compared to the observed group. Conclusion In our study, we confirmed a significant effect of regular physical activity in preventing the development of IR and associated pre-diabetic conditions and PTDM.