Biphasic relationship between training load and glucose tolerance
Nilsson, L, Flockhart M, Bergman K, Apro W, Ekblom B, Larsen FJ
There is a well-established construct regarding the positive effects of exercise on glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, as well as muscle glycogen storage. In insulin resistance, physical activity is an essential part of the treatment. However, the optimal dose is unknown. Reduced muscular glycogen stores, resulting from exercise, should stimulate an increased uptake of blood glucose. In this study we investigated the relation between training load, glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity during three weeks of increasing interval training. Three times during the intervention, oral glucose tests were conducted to investigate the rate of glucose uptake. We found a biphasic dose-response relationship between training load and glucose tolerance, where an excessive training load led to a paradoxical reduction in glucose tolerance and impaired insulin release despite an unchanged amount of muscle glycogen. In light of these results, an upper limit of physical exercise exist where the negative effects overpowers the positive.