OBJECTIVE -To determine the effects of exercise, without weight loss, on insulin sensitivity (S I ), postheparin plasma lipase activity (PHPL), intravenous fat clearance rate (K 2 ), and fasting lipids in sedentary adults.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-At baseline and after 6 months of walk training (intensity 45-55 or 65-75% heart rate reserve, frequency 3-4 or 5-7 days/week, duration 30 min/session), anthropometric indexes, S I , PHPL, K 2 , and fasting lipids were measured in 18 sedentary adults (12 women, 6 men; 51.9 Ϯ 5.8 years of age, BMI 28.9 Ϯ 4.6 kg/m 2 ). ⅐ h Ϫ1 ) (both P Ͻ 0.001), without altering BMI, waist circumference, K 2 , or fasting lipids. Correlations between changes in LPL and the total:HDL cholesterol ratio (r ϭ Ϫ0.54) and changes in the LPL:HL ratio and waist circumference (r ϭ Ϫ0.50) were significant (P Ͻ 0.05).
RESULTSCONCLUSIONS -Exercise, without weight loss, increases S I and PHPL activity in previously sedentary adults, without changing K 2 or fasting lipid levels. Furthermore, increased LPL is associated with a decreased total:HDL ratio, and an increased LPL:HL ratio is associated with a decreased waist circumference. Therefore, even modest amounts of exercise in the absence of weight loss positively affect markers of glucose and fat metabolism in previously sedentary, middle-aged adults.
Diabetes Care 26:557-562, 2003I nsulin resistance (IR) is defined as an inappropriately high level of insulin required to maintain metabolic homeostasis (1) and is characterized by diminished peripheral insulin sensitivity (S I ). Obesity and central body fat distribution are strong predictors of IR (2). Previous research demonstrates that weight loss through caloric restriction is associated with improvement in visceral adiposity, S I , and lipid risk factors for coronary artery disease (3).Physical inactivity also results in markedly decreased S I (4). Several training studies (5-7) have demonstrated that regular aerobic exercise leads to enhanced S I in previously sedentary adults. Improvements in S I with training have been accompanied by significant reductions in body weight and body composition in some (5), but not all (6,7), of these studies.In addition to the profound effects of enhanced insulin action on glucose homeostasis, S I is an important independent determinant of the variation in free fatty acid (FFA) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations in adults (8). Exercise training is known to decrease TG concentrations (9,10) and has been shown to increase the intravenous fat clearance (K 2 ) of a TG emulsion (11,12). Enhanced K 2 (92% greater clearance rate) has also been reported for endurance athletes, compared with sedentary men, in a cross-sectional study (13).One potential mechanism by which exercise enhances lipid metabolism is alteration of plasma lipase activity (i.e., lipoprotein lipase [LPL] and hepatic lipase [HL]). The activity of LPL is a key determinant in the rate of catabolism of TG-rich lipoproteins (14), and impaired function of LPL has been found in individuals with IR (15,1...