Glucose flux is elevated in men, but not women, during the post‐exercise recovery period

Abstract

We tested whether glucose rate of appearance (Ra), disappearance (Rd), and metabolic clearance rate (MCR) would remain elevated following exercise. 10 men and 8 women received a primed‐continuous infusion of [6,6‐2H2]glucose tracer to measure glucose kinetics under 3 different conditions: 1) before, during and 3 h after 90 min of exercise at 45% VO2peak (E45), 2) before, during, and 3 h after 60 min of exercise at 65% VO2peak (E65), and 3) in a time‐matched sedentary control trial (C). Glucose Ra, Rd, MCR, and carbohydrate oxidation (CHOox) declined in C from the pre‐exercise time points to those corresponding to post‐exercise recovery in both men and women (P < 0.05). In men and women, Ra, Rd, and MCR increased above C during exercise and were higher in E65 than E45 (p < 0.05). Average Ra, Rd, and MCR remained elevated above C over 3 h of post‐exercise recovery in men following exercise in E45 and E65 (P < 0.05). In contrast, average Ra and Rd did not remain significantly elevated during post‐exercise recovery in women, although MCR did remain significantly elevated in E65 in women during post‐exercise recovery (P < 0.05). During post‐exercise recovery, CHOox was lower than in C in both sexes (P < 0.05). Depressed CHOox with elevated glucose disposal (men) or maintained glucose disposal (women), characterizes post‐exercise recovery as a time of CHO mobilization and partitioning toward non‐oxidative disposal. NIH grant AR 42906.