SOD2 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Second, oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity modulate the autophagic threshold: HIIT increased T2DM skeletal muscle SOD2 activity by 44%, reducing mitochondrial ROS and ensuring mitophagy targets only damaged mitochondria—whereas endurance training failed to alter SOD2, explaining its limited autophagic effects (Kanaley et al., 2022; Baasch-Skytte et al., 2021).