Sexual dimorphism in the effects of exercise on metabolism of lipids to support resting metabolism.

Gregory C Henderson

doi:10.3389/fendo.2014.00162

Abstract

Exercise training is generally a healthful activity and an effective intervention for reducing the risk of numerous chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This is likely both a result of prevention of weight gain over time and direct effects of exercise on metabolism of lipids and the other macronutrient classes. Importantly, a single bout of exercise can alter lipid metabolism and metabolic rate for hours and even into the day following exercise, so individuals who regularly exercise, even if not performed every single day, overall could experience a substantial change in their resting metabolism that would reduce risk for metabolic diseases. However, resting metabolism does not respond similarly in all individuals to exercise participation, and indeed gender or sex is a major determinant of the response of resting lipid metabolism to prior exercise. In order to fully appreciate the metabolic effects and health benefits of exercise, the differences between men and women must be considered. In this article, the differences in the effects of exercise on resting metabolic rate, fuel selection after exercise, as well as the shuttling of triglyceride and fatty acids between tissues are discussed. Furthermore, concepts related to sex differences in the precision of homeostatic control and sex differences in the integration of metabolism between various organs are considered.

Highlights

Chronic exercise training reduces all-cause mortality risk [1,2,3,4] and shows a major beneficial impact on the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) [1,2,3,4] and diabetes [5,6,7,8]
SUMMARY AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS The vast majority of the work on metabolic responses to exercise has addressed the changes in physiology and metabolism during the actual exercise bouts, but the majority of even an avid exerciser’s life is not spent exercising and rather is spent at rest
The majority of work on exercise has been conducted on males, so additional work on women and female laboratory animals is needed to further extend our understanding of sexual dimorphism in the future

Summary

Introduction

Chronic exercise training reduces all-cause mortality risk [1,2,3,4] and shows a major beneficial impact on the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) [1,2,3,4] and diabetes [5,6,7,8]. It appeared that the smaller increase in fat oxidation in women vs men after exercise, discussed in the subsequent section of this article, is largely driven by this sex difference in the RMR response.

Results

Conclusion