Fatty Acid Metabolism and Insulin Sensitivity: the Role of Endurance Exercise

Clearly the effects of diet and exercise are beneficial for obese persons, but the underlying mechanisms for the improvements in metabolic health are not completely clear. Although mounting evidence suggests that alterations in lipid metabolism in persons with abdominal obesity are associated with a several medical complications, including diabetes, little is known about the factors responsible for this effect. The project in this application is designed to examine how the addition of endurance exercise training to a weight-loss program alters whole-body fatty acid availability, uptake, and oxidation as well as the expression of cellular factors that regulate these processes. In addition, we will evaluate whether these alterations are associated with improvements in insulin sensitivity. In the end, these experiments will provide insight into the cellular and whole-body adaptations in fatty acid metabolism in response to weight-loss and exercise training that may lead to enhancement of insulin sensitivity. Identifying relationships between gene expression, whole-body fatty acid metabolism and clinical outcome measurements, such as insulin sensitivity, may lead to improvements in the therapeutic and/or the preventative approach to obesity and its co-morbidities.