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The acute effects of aerobic exercise and modified rugby on inflammation and glucose homeostasis within Indigenous Australians

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Abstract

This study investigated the acute effects of two exercise modes, including cycle ergometry and modified rugby on inflammation and glucose regulation within an Indigenous Australian population. Ten sedentary, untrained Indigenous male participants volunteered to participate and were not clinically diagnosed with cardiovascular or metabolic disorders. Following baseline testing and in a randomized cross-over design participants completed two exercise protocols (cycle ergometry and modified rugby) of 40-min duration separated by 7 days’ recovery. Fasting venous blood was collected pre, post, 30, 60 and 240 min post exercise for analysis of glucose, insulin, cortisol and inflammatory markers of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-1 receptor agonist (ra) and C-reactive protein (CRP). IL-6 and IL-1ra were significantly (P < 0.05) increased within the 240 min post-exercise period, without significant differences between protocols (P > 0.05). There were no significant changes within or between protocols for TNF-α, IL-1β and CRP (P > 0.05). A comparison of insulin resistance: homeostasis model (HOMA) between resting and 240 min post exercise shows a change from a baseline value of 4.44 (3.71) to 1.76 (1.67) HOMA in cycle ergometry (P < 0.05) and to 1.54 (1.33) HOMA in modified rugby (P < 0.05), without differences between sessions (P > 0.05). This study identified similar acute inflammatory and glucose regulatory responses between cycle ergometry and modified rugby. Prescribing modified rugby as a mode of physical activity may provide Indigenous populations with a community-based approach to promote increased engagement in physical activity and assist in the acute regulation of glucose disposal and inflammatory cytokines.

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Abbreviations

CVD:

Cardiovascular disease

CRP:

C-reactive protein

GPS:

Global positioning satellite

GXT:

Graded exercise test

HR:

Heart rate

HOMA:

Insulin resistance: homeostasis model

IL:

Interleukin

MHR:

Maximum heart rate

VO2 :

Oxygen consumption

Ra:

Receptor agonist

TB-FM:

Total body fat mass

TNF-α:

Tumor necrosis factor alpha

T2DM:

Type 2 diabetes mellitus

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the University of Technology, Sydney for providing the funding required for blood analysis. The authors would also like to acknowledge staff at Pathology, Bathurst Base Hospital NSW, Australia, and the Institutional staff at Charles Sturt University Exercise Physiology Laboratories, Bathurst, NSW, for assistance and support involving blood analysis. They would also like to acknowledge all participants and members of the Aboriginal community for their involvement and support in the research study

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Human Movement Studies, Charles Sturt University, Panorama Avenue, Bathurst, NSW, 2795, Australia

    Amy E. Mendham & Rob Duffield

  2. Sport and Exercise Discipline Group, UTS: Health, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Aaron J. Coutts

Authors
  1. Amy E. Mendham
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  2. Aaron J. Coutts
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  3. Rob Duffield
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amy E. Mendham.

Additional information

Communicated by Michael Lindinger.

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Mendham, A.E., Coutts, A.J. & Duffield, R. The acute effects of aerobic exercise and modified rugby on inflammation and glucose homeostasis within Indigenous Australians. Eur J Appl Physiol 112, 3787–3795 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-012-2361-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-012-2361-5

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