Background: Studying post-prandial fluctuations in blood glucose has high physiological and clinical relevance. Physical exercise is known to influence this fluctuation. Objectives: To determine the gender difference in glucose tolerance following physical exercise in a population of university students. Methods: A total of 146 students were randomly selected from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sagamu, Ogun State, southwest Nigeria. Following overnight fast, Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) was carried out. Pre-exercise, fasting blood glucose (FBG) was measured at 0 mins, and after oral glucose load of 75 grams at 30 minutes intervals for 2 hours. The physical exercise involved cycling using a bicycle ergometer for an hour. Thereafter, OGTT was conducted again 1 hour post-exercise. Results: The ages of the subjects ranged from 20 years to 49 years. There were 73 (50.0%) females. The mean Body Mass Index (BMI) of 23.5±1.1 kg/m2 for females was comparable to 22.8±0.3 kg/m2 for the males (p = 0.571). Seven (9.6%) females were obese compared to 2 (2.7%) males. The mean post-prandial blood glucose increased from 71.6±1.6 mg/dl to 90.8±1.8 mg/dl after oral glucose load and thereafter to 88.0±4.2 mg/dl at 120 minutes among males. The post-exercise blood glucose patterns included a significant reduction in the mean FBS for males compared to females (64.5±1.9 mg/dl vs. 71.7±1.9 mg/dl; p = 0.001) Conclusions: Glucose tolerance with exercise is better in females than males. The clinical importance of physical exercise lies in its effect on glucose tolerance.

Background: Low basal insulin level is a risk factor for Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) as a result of altered insulin sensitivity pattern. However, it is uncertain if exercise may influence the occurrence of T2DM in the offspring of diabetic parents. Objective: To assess the effect of exercise on basal insulin levels in the offspring of T2DM parents compared with the offspring of non-diabetic parents.Design: The participants were assigned into four groups using a convenience sampling method; 27 Normal-weight Offspring of Non-Diabetic Parents (NONDP), 21 Normal-weight Offspring of Diabetic Parents (NODP), 26 Overweight Offspring of Non-Diabetic Parents (OONDP) and 21 Overweight Offspring of Diabetic Parents (OODP). Each participant followed a protocol of graded exercise using ''tummy trimmer'' everyday spending 30-45 minutes daily for 24 weeks. Blood samples were obtained after overnight fasting for determination of insulin level using standard methods (immunoassay technique) at baseline, six weeks, 12 weeks, 18 weeks and 24 weeks respectively.Results: There were 23/42 males (54.8%) in the study groups and 34/51 females (64.2%) in the control groups. Thirty-one (58.7%) in the control group and 24 (57.1%) in the study group were aged 21-30 years. An increase in insulin levels was recorded at 12 weeks in all groups except in NONDP where the insulin levels decreased. The insulin level change was highest in the NODP (2.25ng/ml) group.Conclusions: Graded exercise improved insulin levels in all test groups. The clinical importance of graded exercise in the prevention of diabetes mellitus among the offspring of diabetic parents may be promising.

Background: Physical Activity improves the functional capacity of the circulatory system with minimum myocardium stress. Objectives: This study was designed to assess exercise modulation and sex difference of blood pressure (BP), respiratory rate (RR) and pulse rate (PR) of selected undergraduate students. Design: This study involved 360 students selected using convenience sampling method, aged between 18 and 35 years. Lecturers and postgraduate students were exempted from the study. BP was measured using Sphygmomanometer before exercise and 30 minutes interval during exercise for two hours. Bicycle Ergometer was used as the exercise apparatus. Stop watch was used to measure PR and RR. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: In total, 360 subjects, 180 males and 180 females, were included in the study. The mean SBP at baseline was 111.59 mmHg±0.35. It reduced to 96.99 mmHg±0.36 after 120 minutes of exercise (p=0.000). The mean DBP at baseline was 69.78mmHg±0.32. It reduced to 56.01mmHg±0.30 after 120 minutes of exercise (p=0.000). The mean Respiratory Rate (RR) at baseline was 15.91 cycles/ minute±0.11. It increased to 28.82 cycles/minute±0.21 after 120 minutes of exercise (p=0.000). The mean Rate Pulse Pressure (RPP) at baseline was 8322.35 mmHg. cycles/ minute±0.05 It increased to 12033.55mmHg.cycles/minute±0.21 after 120 minutes of exercise (p=0.000). Moreover, the male-female relationships showed that the SBP, DBP, RR and RPP were significantly lower in female than male subjects (p=0.000). Conclusions: Exercise reduces SBP and DBP. This reduction is greater among females.

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Background: Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is known to be preceded by a long pre-diabetic stage. Family studies have confirmed that the incidence of T2DM in the first-degree offspring of T2DM patients is higher than in the non-diabetic population. The levels of plasma fibrinogen and HbA1c in offspring of T2DM patients may be markers of the development of T2DM later in life. Objectives: To determine the plasma fibrinogen and HbA1c levels of normoglycaemic offspring of T2DM patients.  Methods: This study involved randomly selected 100 offspring of T2DM patients (ODP) and 100 offspring of non-diabetic parents (ONDP) aged between 16 and 40 years. Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG), plasma fibrinogen and HbA1c and height and body weight were measured using standard methods.  Results: The mean age of the ODP and ONDP were similar: 23.3±0.44 years and 23.44 ±0.40 years, respectively. The mean BMI was 23.83±0.42kg/m2 for ODP and 23.20±0.29kg/m2 for ONDP. The prevalence of overweight was 13.0% and 25.0% among the ODP and ONDP, respectively. The mean plasma fibrinogen was significantly higher in ODP (322.85 ± 5.15g/l vs 303.11 ±4.92 g/l; p = 0.006). The mean plasma HbA1c was also significantly higher among OND (5.13±0.03% vs 4.76±0.05; p = 0.000). Conclusions: The plasma fibrinogen and HbA1c levels are higher among ODP than ONDP. This pattern of variations may serve as a reason for instituting precautionary measures since it predates the development of T2DM.