It is well known that endurance training increases glucose tolerance due to enhanced insulin sensitivity; however, the effect of exercise on insulin secretion modulation is less well understood. Calegari and colleagues speculated that the decrease in glucose-induced insulin secretion could be due to alteration of the AMP-activated kinase pathway. Male Wistar rats underwent different periods of endurance training before various protein levels in isolated pancreatic islets were assessed. After eight weeks, rat body weight and insulin secretion had decreased, with levels of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) and AMPK phosphorylation increasing. AMPK activation is thus enhanced by endurance exercise which leads to increased UCP2 protein content, resulting in decreased insulin secretion. This research has implications for treatment of type 2 diabetes. Calegari et al. (2011) Journal of Endocrinology 208 257–264.

Read the full article at DOI:10.1530/JOE-10-0450.