Exercise training is advocated in insulin resistance and statins are used to treat hyperlipidaemia, two cardiometabolic risk factors often presenting concurrently. Statin intake may blunt mitochondrial function and the adaptive response to exercise training. Thus combining exercise training with statin administration may have adverse effects. We examined whether improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors, insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial function mediated by progressive exercise training are affected by statin use. A group of 14 obese elderly males on statins (ST) and 22 matched control subjects (C) were examined. Results on in vivo mitochondrial function [MRS (magnetic resonance spectroscopy)], mitochondrial density (Western blotting), insulin sensitivity (clamp) and metabolic flexibility (indirect calorimetry) were compared before and after a 12-week combined progressive exercise training programme (3×per week; 45 min per session). Except for LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, all pre-training values were comparable between statin users and control subjects. In vivo mitochondrial function and mitochondrial density improved by training in both groups. Interestingly, blood-lipid profile, insulin sensitivity (+72%), non-oxidative and oxidative glucose disposal (+38% and +112%) and insulin-mediated suppression of fat oxidation (−62%) improved only in the ST group. We conclude that statin treatment did not impede exercise performance or tolerance, mitochondrial function or mass. In addition, training-induced improvements in glucose homoeostasis were preserved in the ST group. Strikingly, the insulin-sensitizing effect of training was more prominent in the ST group than in the C group. The combined prescription of statins along with exercise training is safe and should be considered for subjects prone to develop insulin resistance.
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Research Article|
June 25 2010
The use of statins potentiates the insulin-sensitizing effect of exercise training in obese males with and without Type 2 diabetes
Ruth C. R. Meex;
Ruth C. R. Meex
*Department of Human Movement Sciences, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Esther Phielix;
Esther Phielix
†Department of Human Biology, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Vera B. Schrauwen-Hinderling;
Vera B. Schrauwen-Hinderling
†Department of Human Biology, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
‡Department of Radiology, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Esther Moonen-Kornips;
Esther Moonen-Kornips
*Department of Human Movement Sciences, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
†Department of Human Biology, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Gert Schaart;
Gert Schaart
*Department of Human Movement Sciences, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Patrick Schrauwen;
Patrick Schrauwen
†Department of Human Biology, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Matthijs K. C. Hesselink
*Department of Human Movement Sciences, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
Correspondence: Dr Matthijs K. C. Hesselink (email [email protected]).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
March 09 2010
Revision Received:
April 20 2010
Accepted:
May 13 2010
Accepted Manuscript online:
May 13 2010
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 Biochemical Society
2010
Clin Sci (Lond) (2010) 119 (7): 293–301.
Article history
Received:
March 09 2010
Revision Received:
April 20 2010
Accepted:
May 13 2010
Accepted Manuscript online:
May 13 2010
Citation
Ruth C. R. Meex, Esther Phielix, Vera B. Schrauwen-Hinderling, Esther Moonen-Kornips, Gert Schaart, Patrick Schrauwen, Matthijs K. C. Hesselink; The use of statins potentiates the insulin-sensitizing effect of exercise training in obese males with and without Type 2 diabetes. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 October 2010; 119 (7): 293–301. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20100153
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