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Endocrine Abstracts (2013) 32 P180 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.32.P180

ECE2013 Poster Presentations Cardiovascular Endocrinology & Lipid Metabolism (41 abstracts)

The effect of aerobic exercise on ectopic lipids intramyocellular, intrahepatocellular, and intracardiomyocellular lipids in physically active, healthy individuals

Marion Kruesi 1 , Julie Bucher 1 , Roland Kreis 2 , Michael Ith 2 , Thomas Zueger 1 , Christoph Stettler 1 , Chris Boesch 2 & Emanuel Christ 1


1Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Clinical Nutrition, University Hospital of Bern, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland; 2Departments of Clinical Research and Radiology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.


Introduction: Ectopic lipids are fuel stores in non-adipose tissues (i.e. skeletal muscle (IMCL), liver (IHCL), and heart (ICCL)). It is recognized that IMCL can be depleted by physical activity and repleted by dietary fat intake indicating metabolic flexibility. In contrast, preliminary data suggested that aerobic exercise increases IHCL. Data on the acute effect of aerobic exercise on ICCL is scarce.

Increased IMCL and IHCL have consistently been related to impaired insulin action in skeletal muscles and liver, while initial studies do not show such a relationship for the heart. Hypothesis: fat mass and insulin sensitivity influence the flexibility of ectopic lipids.

Methods: Ten males, physically active subjects (age: 28.9±6.4 years, mean±S.D.; VO2max: 56.3±6.4 ml/kg per min, BMI: 22.75±1.4 kg/m2) were recruited. VO2max was assessed by ergometry. Insulin sensitivity was calculated by HOMA-Index. Visceral and subcutaneous fat mass were separately quantified by MR-imaging. Following a standardized dietary fat load over 3 days IMCL, IHCL and ICCL were measured using MR-spectroscopy before and after a 2 h-exercise at 50–60% of VO2max. Effects of exercise on IMCL, IHCL, and ICCL were probed using paired t-tests. Correlations between relative changes in these lipids and insulin sensitivity and visceral/subcutaneous fat mass were evaluated.

Results: A 2 h-exercise resulted in a significant decrease in IMCL (−17±22%, P=0.008) and ICCL (−17±14%, P=0.002) and an increase in IHCL (42±29%, P=0.004). In this cohort no significant correlations were found between the relative changes in IMCL ICCL, IHCL, and fat mass or HOMA-index.

Conclusions: These results underscore the fact that all ectopic lipids are flexible fuel stores that are influenced by physical exercise.

In this homogenous group, physical exercise consistently decreased both ICCL and IMCL and increased IHCL.

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