Effect of exercise-training on the metabolic manifestations of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in the rat

Abstract

Streptozotocin-induced insulin deficiency of a moderate degree was produced in exercise-trained and sedentary young rats, and determinations made of subsequent changes in plasma glucose, triglyceride, and insulin concentrations. Exercise-training attenuated the rise in both plasma glucose and triglyceride concentrations associated with insulin deficiency. Plasma insulin levels were, if anything, lower in exercise-trained rats. Thus, the beneficial effects of exercise-training on plasma glucose and triglyceride concentrations could not be due to the preservation of endogenous insulin secretion, and appear to be secondary to enhanced insulin sensitivity. © 1981 Springer-Verlag.