Effect of a Single Bout of Resistance Exercise on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Response the Next Day in Healthy, Strength-Trained Men

Abstract

Postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels are both risk factors for developing obesity, type-2 diabetes, and coronary heart diseases. To date, research has shown that a single bout of moderate- to high-intensity aerobic exercise performed <or=24 hours before a carbohydrate ingestion has a positive effect on the postprandial glucose and insulin response, but the reports on the effect of a single bout of resistance exercise are scarce. The purpose of this study was to examine if a bout of resistance exercise performed 14 hours before ingestion of a carbohydrate-rich meal might reduce the postprandial increment in blood glucose and plasma insulin concentration. Ten healthy, strength-trained, young men participated in a meal and resistance exercise experiment. All subjects ingested a carbohydrate-rich meal (1 g carbohydrate per kg body weight) after fasting for 12 hours either with no exercise the preceding 3 days or after a bout of resistance exercise performed 14 hours earlier. Blood glucose and plasma insulin were measured every 15 and 30 minutes, respectively, for 2 hours. The postprandial blood glucose response measured as the peak value, the slope (from time 0 to peak value), and the incremental area under the curve 0-60 min (IAUC(0-60 min)) was significantly (p <or= 0.05) reduced 14 hours after the resistance exercise compared with the control experiment (no exercise). However, total IAUC was not significantly influenced by a bout of previous resistance exercise. Also, the plasma insulin response did not differ between the 2 experiments. From the present study it would appear that a bout of resistance exercise can reduce the postprandial glucose elevation for at least 14 hours.