Variation In Cortisol Changes And Insulin Sensitivity During Detraining

Abstract

PURPOSE: To determine whether alteration in insulinemia due to abstention from regular exercise training would be associated with changes in serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and cortisol, 18 highly trained badminton players (21.2±0.32 years) were enrolled into a 2-month detraining study. METHODS: Fasting serum insulin, glucose, DHEA-S, and cortisol were determined at trained state and after at day 60 of detraining. Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity were assessed by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). RESULTS: The 2-month detraining increased fasting glucose and insulin concentrations and body weight slightly, but did not affect glucose tolerance and insulin response curve, in which 10 subjects had increased and 8 subjects had not increased in the area under curve for insulin (IAUC). In the subjects with IAUC increased, serum cortisol was also increased (from 0.44±0.07 to 0.83±0.26 U/L, P < 0.05) in parallel and serum creatine kinase (CK) was unaltered (from 232±68 to 204±43 U/L, NS) during detraining. Whereas in the subjects without IAUC increased, serum cortisol (from 0.51±0.19 to 0.54±0.14 U/L, no significance) was not changed and serum creatine kinase (from 461± 179 to 151±21 U/L) was decreased during detraining. Two groups of detrained subjects exhibited a similar reduction in serum DHEA-S levels and slight elevation in body weight. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in serum cortisol, but not DHEA-S, were associated with the change in insulin sensitivity during early phase of lifestyle change from physically active to sedentary.