Contribution of postexercise increment in glucose storage to variations in glucose-induced thermogenesis in endurance athletes

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the contribution of an increment in glucose storage to the reduced glucose-induced thermogenesis (GIT) characterizing endurance-trained individuals. For that purpose, glucose storage and GIT were determined during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in eight elite endurance athletes exercising between 6 and 16 h/week. Their values were compared with those obtained in five nontrained subjects submitted to two OGTT, i.e., before and 16 h after they had performed a 90-min vigorous exercise. As expected, endurance athletes exhibited a reduced GIT and a greater glucose storage during the OGTT in comparison to the preexercise values of nontrained subjects. Once the latter subjects had performed the 90-min exercise, their glucose storage during the OGTT was similar to the level found in athletes. This adaptation was accompanied by a significant reduction in GIT, which corresponded to 47% of the difference observed between trained and nontrained subjects when both groups maintained their usual life habits. Unlike GIT, resting metabolic rate (RMR) was found to be higher in athletes than in nontrained individuals. When subdividing the athletes into two subgroups on the basis of the duration of their weekly training, it was found that RMR was mainly elevated in those performing the higher amount of exercise. These results demonstrate that the reduced GIT characterizing endurance-trained individuals is partly explained by an increase in glucose storage during an OGTT. As further discussed, this reduced GIT is likely an indirect consequence of modifications of other energy-requiring energy processes rather than a direct result of the postexercise increment in glucose storage.