Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes: Gender and Endothelial Function

The objective of the current proposal is to evaluate the importance of blood vessel dysfunction and heart dysfunction to overall exercise impairments in type 2 diabetes and their contribution to the gender differences observed in exercise capacity. Importantly, treatments that improve blood vessel function in persons with type 2 diabetes can be used to directly assess whether impairment in blood vessel function and ultimately exercise performance, can be improved and whether the degree of improvement differs between the sexes. Hypothesis 1. Uncomplicated type 2 diabetes more adversely affects exercise capacity in women than men. Hypothesis 2. Blood vessel function and cardiac function are more significantly impaired in women with type 2 diabetes than men and contribute to the gender differences in exercise capacity. Hypothesis 3. Restoration of blood vessel function will improve exercise capacity more in women than men with type 2 diabetes.