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The relationship between adiposopathy and glucose-insulin homeostasis is not affected by moderate-intensity aerobic training in healthy women with obesity

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Abstract

The contribution of adiposopathy to glucose-insulin homeostasis remains unclear. This longitudinal study examined the potential relationship between the adiponectin/leptin ratio (A/L, a marker of adiposopathy) and insulin resistance (IR: homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)), insulin sensitivity (IS: Matsuda), and insulin response to an oral glucose tolerance test before and after a 16-week walking program, in 29 physically inactive pre- and postmenopausal women with obesity (BMI, 29–35 kg/m2; age, 47–54 years). Anthropometry, body composition, VO2max, and fasting lipid-lipoprotein and inflammatory profiles were assessed. A/L was unchanged after training (p = 0.15), despite decreased leptin levels (p < 0.05). While the Matsuda index tended to increase (p = 0.07), HOMA decreased (p < 0.05) and fasting insulin was reduced (p < 0.01) but insulin area under the curve (AUC) remained unchanged (p = 0.18) after training. Body fatness and VO2max were improved (p < 0.05) while triacylglycerols increased and HDL-CHOL levels decreased after training (p < 0.05). At baseline, A/L was positively associated with VO2max, HDL-CHOL levels, and Matsuda (0.37 < ρ < 0.56; p < 0.05) but negatively with body fatness, HOMA, insulin AUC, IL-6, and hs-CRP levels (− 0.41 < ρ < − 0.66; p < 0.05). After training, associations with fitness, HOMA, and inflammation were lost. Multiple regression analysis revealed A/L as an independent predictor of IR and IS, before training (partial R2 = 0.10 and 0.22), although A/L did not predict the insulin AUC pre- or post-intervention. A significant correlation was found between training-induced changes to A/L and IS (r = 0.38; p < 0.05) but not with IR or insulin AUC. Although changes in the A/L ratio could not explain improvements to glucose-insulin homeostasis indices following training, a relationship with insulin sensitivity was revealed in healthy women with obesity.

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Acknowledgments

The cooperation of the participants who participated to this walking program is greatly appreciated.

Thanks to Alexandra Andersen, Denise Christen, Katie Lacasse, Geneviève Ouellet, Renaud Turcotte-Sabourin, Guillaume Salamin, and Jean Tremblay for their very helpful assistance in the supervision of walking sessions as well as to Caroline Brière, dietetic technician, for her dedicated work on the 3-day dietary records. Special thanks to Valérie-Ève Julien, Marie-Christine Dubé, and Marie Tremblay for their precious help and implication in OGTT.

Funding

This study was supported by the operating grant # MOP-77572 obtained from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (PM) and from the Fondation du Centre de Recherche de l’Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et Pneumologie de Québec (DRJ).

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Correspondence to Pascale Mauriège.

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The experimental design was approved by the Laval University Ethics Committee on Human Research for Medical Sciences, and all participants provided written informed consent.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Clément, AA., Riesco, E., Tessier, S. et al. The relationship between adiposopathy and glucose-insulin homeostasis is not affected by moderate-intensity aerobic training in healthy women with obesity. J Physiol Biochem 74, 591–601 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13105-018-0630-4

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