Decreased insulin-stimulated brown adipose tissue glucose uptake after short-term exercise training in healthy middle-aged men

Diabetes Obes Metab. 2017 Oct;19(10):1379-1388. doi: 10.1111/dom.12947. Epub 2017 Jul 6.

Abstract

Aims: To test the hypothesis that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) improve brown adipose tissue (BAT) insulin sensitivity.

Participants and methods: Healthy middle-aged men (n = 18, age 47 years [95% confidence interval {CI} 49, 43], body mass index 25.3 kg/m2 [95% CI 24.1-26.3], peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak ) 34.8 mL/kg/min [95% CI 32.1, 37.4] ) were recruited and randomized into six HIIT or MICT sessions within 2 weeks. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was measured using 2-[18 F]flouro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron-emission tomography in BAT, skeletal muscle, and abdominal and femoral subcutaneous and visceral white adipose tissue (WAT) depots before and after the training interventions.

Results: Training improved VO2peak (P = .0005), insulin-stimulated glucose uptake into the quadriceps femoris muscle (P = .0009) and femoral subcutaneous WAT (P = .02) but not into BAT, with no difference between the training modes. Using pre-intervention BAT glucose uptake, we next stratified subjects into high BAT (>2.9 µmol/100 g/min; n = 6) or low BAT (<2.9 µmol/100 g/min; n = 12) groups. Interestingly, training decreased insulin-stimulated BAT glucose uptake in the high BAT group (4.0 [2.8, 5.5] vs 2.5 [1.7, 3.6]; training*BAT, P = .02), whereas there was no effect of training in the low BAT group (1.5 [1.2, 1.9] vs 1.6 [1.2, 2.0] µmol/100 g/min). Participants in the high BAT group had lower levels of inflammatory markers compared with those in the low BAT group.

Conclusions: Participants with functionally active BAT have an improved metabolic profile compared with those with low BAT activity. Short-term exercise training decreased insulin-stimulated BAT glucose uptake in participants with active BAT, suggesting that training does not work as a potent stimulus for BAT activation.

Keywords: brown adipose tissue; exercise training; free fatty acid uptake; glucose uptake; positron emission tomography.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipose Tissue, Brown / drug effects*
  • Adipose Tissue, Brown / metabolism*
  • Adult
  • Exercise / physiology*
  • Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / metabolism
  • Glucose / pharmacokinetics*
  • Health
  • Humans
  • Insulin / pharmacology*
  • Insulin Resistance
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Muscle, Skeletal / drug effects
  • Muscle, Skeletal / metabolism
  • Oxygen Consumption / drug effects
  • Oxygen Consumption / physiology

Substances

  • Fatty Acids, Nonesterified
  • Insulin
  • Glucose