Dela F, Stallknecht B. Effect of physical training on insulin secretion and action in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue of firstdegree relatives of type 2 diabetic patients. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 299: E80 -E91, 2010. First published April 20, 2010; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00765.2009.-Physical training affects insulin secretion and action, but there is a paucity of data on the direct effects in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue and on the effect of training in first-degree relatives (FDR) of patients with type 2 diabetes. We studied insulin action at the whole body level and peripherally in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue as well as insulin-secretory capacity in seven FDR and eight control (CON) subjects before and after 12 wk of endurance training. Training improved physical fitness. Insulinmediated glucose uptake (GU) increased (whole body and leg; P Ͻ 0.05) after training in CON but not in FDR, whereas glucose-mediated GU increased (P Ͻ 0.05) in both groups. Adipose tissue GU was not affected by training, but it was higher (abdominal, P Ͻ 0.05; femoral, P ϭ 0.09) in FDR compared with CON. Training increased skeletal muscle lipolysis (P Ͻ 0.05), and it was markedly higher (P Ͻ 0.05) in subcutaneous abdominal than in femoral adipose tissue and quadriceps muscle with no difference between FDR and CON. Glucosestimulated insulin secretion was lower in FDR compared with CON, but no effect of training was seen. Glucagon-like peptide-1 stimulated insulin secretion five-to sevenfold. We conclude that insulin-secretory capacity is lower in FDR than in CON and that there is dissociation between training-induced changes in insulin secretion and insulin-mediated GU. Maximal GU rates are similar between groups and increases with physical training.glucagon-like peptide-1; hyperglycemic clamp; blood flow; intravenous glucose tolerance test; hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp; microdialysis; arteriovenous balance PHYSICAL TRAINING IS A CORNERSTONE in the initial treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes. In skeletal muscle, the insulinsensitizing effect of training in both healthy individuals and patients with type 2 diabetes is well documented (6,8,10,34,46). In individuals with a genetic predisposition for type 2 diabetes, first-degree relatives (FDR) of patients with type 2 diabetes, only a few training studies have been carried out, and none have directly examined the effect of physical training on insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. In one study in a mixed group of FDR males and females, training enhanced insulin-mediated whole body glucose uptake rates (40), but there was no correlation between glucose uptake and measures of fitness [maximal oxygen uptake (V O 2max )]. In a recent study in females (3), a training-induced increase in whole body insulin sensitivity was found only in FDR subjects, yet this could not be demonstrated in control subjects (CON) despite similar increases in V O 2max in the two groups.