Background. Exercise training intervention is underused in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in East Africa. Methods. 41 physically-active males with type 2 diabetes mellitus living in Mozambique were recruited and randomly assigned to 12 weeks of supervised exercise of low intensity exercise (LEX), vigorous intensity exercise (VEX), or to a control group (CON). Since there were no differences for any outcome variables between the exercise groups, VEX and LEX were combined into one exercise group (EX). Results. Age and baseline body weight were similar between EX and CON. Plasma glucose at 120？min following glucose load (Glu 120) was significantly reduced in the EX group after training (Glu 120？:？17.3？mmol/L to 15.0？mmol/L, ), whereas Glu 120 remained unchanged in the CON (Glu 120？:？16.6？mmol/L to 18.7？mmol/L). After controlling for baseline blood pressure (BP), posttraining systolic BP and diastolic BP were lower in the EX group than in the CON group (EX: 129/77？mm？Hg, CON: 152/83？mm？Hg, ). Conclusion. Adding exercise to already active African men with type 2 diabetes improved glucose control and BP levels without concomitant changes in weight. 1. Introduction Diabetes is an increasing cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2000, there were 133,000 known individuals with type 2 diabetes in Mozambique and possibly an equal number of undiagnosed cases. Globally there is a rapid increase in the incidence of diabetes but developing countries have contributed substantially to the increased incidence [1], mainly as a consequence of urbanization [2]. It is projected that, by 2030, the number of people with diabetes will more than double in Mozambique. Urbanization is associated with altered diet and decreased physical activity [2]. Although physical activity levels are declining in developing countries, they are still considerably higher than developed countries, especially in rural areas [3]. In Mozambique, many individuals walk more than one hour per day, as walking is a primary mode of transportation. Exercise is widely prescribed in developed countries as a lifestyle intervention to control glucose and blood pressure (BP) in type 2 diabetic patients [4–7]. Because of their inherent daily physical activity in developing countries, exercise is seldom prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, little is known if a structured exercise program added to an already active lifestyle would affect glucose control and BP in this population with type 2 diabetes. We hypothesized that a
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