Exercise Metabolic Flexibility in Type 2 Diabetes Treated With Empagliflozin: An Exploratory Analysis of the Randomised Trial EMPA ‐ HEART
Authors' conclusion
Empagliflozin treatment is associated with enhanced FATox during low-to-moderate intensity exercise with unchanged substrate oxidation at rest and at high-intensity exercise. This effect, if confirmed, has the potential to produce an improvement of exercise capacity in patients with T2D.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with T2D undergoing cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPETs) before and after 6 months of randomised therapy
- Participants
- 44 patients
- Comparison
- Empagliflozin vs sitagliptin for 6 months
- Empagliflozinn = 22
- Sitagliptinn = 22reference
Methodological detailspre-specified exploratory analysis
- Pre-specified exploratory analysis
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Substrate oxidation during low-to-moderate intensity exercise (40% V̇O2max) · 6 months
FATox increased with empagliflozin only
+32 [5/65]%
p = 0.02
CHOox decreased with empagliflozin only
−30 [−45/−1]%
p = 0.04
Further findings
| Outcome | Empagliflozin | Sitagliptin | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| MFO · 6 months | +0.66 (interval 0/1.31) mg/min/kg fat-free mass | −0.59 (interval −1.49/0.31) mg/min/kg fat-free mass | P = 0.0249 |
| FATmax · 6 months | +5 (interval 2/8) % V̇O2max | 0 (interval −4/3) % V̇O2max | P = 0.0433 |
| Plasma β(OH)B · 6 months | +51 (interval 21/81) μmol/L | — not stated in the abstract |
— not stated in the abstract
- Plasma β(OH)B — β(OH)B increase with empagliflozin (p = 0.012); correlated with maximal fat oxidation (MFO) and FATmax
- p < 0.05
FATox improvement vs change in peak V̇O2 (whole population)
- Improvements in FATox correlated with changes in cardiopulmonary fitness
- P < 0.01
Original publication
Exercise Metabolic Flexibility in Type 2 Diabetes Treated With Empagliflozin: An Exploratory Analysis of the Randomised Trial EMPA ‐ HEART. Diabetes Obes Metab. Published 31 March 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →