Effects of a 15-week recreational football programme on insulin resistance and glycaemic control in inactive premenopausal women with mild arterial hypertension: A randomised controlled trial

This study aimed to investigate the impact of a 15-week recreational football intervention on insulin resistance and glycaemic control in inactive premenopausal women with mild hypertension. A total of 41 women, aged 35-50 years, were randomised into either a football training group or a control group. The football group participated in structured, small-sided games-based training sessions, three times per week, while the control group remained inactive. Key outcomes measured included insulin resistance, fasting glucose and insulin concentrations, as well as glucose and insulin responses after an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). Despite the intervention, no significant differences were found between the football and control groups in fasting glucose, insulin levels, or insulin resistance measured by HOMA-IR. Additionally, the OGTT results showed no significant changes in glucose or insulin responses across the intervention period. This study also assessed plasma levels of sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1, key markers of vascular function, which showed no significant changes related to the intervention. These findings suggest that 15 weeks of recreational football may not be sufficient to produce significant improvements in glycaemic control in inactive premenopausal women with mild hypertension, although larger confirmatory studies are required to test this hypothesis.