Hormone response of diabetic patients to exercise at cool and warm temperatures

  • Japani Rönnemaa
  • Jukka Marniemi
  • Aila Leino
  • Hannu Karanko
  • Pauli Puukka
  • Veikko A. Koivisto
Article
Accepted:

Summary

Both exercise and high ambient temperatures stimulate the secretion of counterregulatory hormones which can change glucose homeostasis. We studied whether in diabetic patients there are any differences in the hormonal response to exercise performed at cool or warm ambient temperatures. A study was performed on eight male insulin-dependent patients at rest and during exercise at + 10° C and + 30° C. Exercise consisted of three consecutive 15-min periods at 60% of maximal aerobic capacity. The concentrations of plasma lactate and counterregulatory hormones at rest were similar at warm and cool temperature, whereas prolactin concentration was higher (P < 0.01) at +30° C. Exercise resulted in an increase in noradrenaline, growth hormone and prolactin (P < 0.01), prevented the diurnal decrease in cortisol, but had no effect on glucagon. Hormone responses to exercise were similar at + 10° C and at +30°C, except for cortisol and noradrenaline which showed greater responses at warm than at cool temperatures. This may have been due to the higher relative work load at warm compared to cool temperatures as suggested by the higher heart rate and greater increase of lactate at +30° C. These data indicate that within a range of ambient temperatures commonly occurring in sports, the response of counterregulatory hormones is largely independent of ambient temperature in insulin-dependent diabetic patients.

Key words

Exercise Temperature Counterregulatory hormones Insulin-dependent diabetes 
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1991

Authors and Affiliations

  • Japani Rönnemaa
    • 1
  • Jukka Marniemi
    • 1
  • Aila Leino
    • 1
  • Hannu Karanko
    • 1
  • Pauli Puukka
    • 1
  • Veikko A. Koivisto
    • 2
  1. 1.Rehabilitation Research Centre of the Social Insurance InstitutionTurkuFinland
  2. 2.Second Department of MedicineUniversity Central Hospital of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland

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