Altitude, Exercise and Glucose Metabolism in Pre-diabetic Men

January 17, 2019 updated by: Martin Burtscher, Universitaet Innsbruck

Altitude-dependent Effects of Concentric and Eccentric Exercise on Glucose Metabolism in Pre-diabetic Men

Concentric (CE) and eccentric (EE) exercises may differently affect glucose metabolism which may be additionally modified when exercises are performed in hypoxia, e.g. at moderate (1500 - 2500 m) or high (2500 - 3500 m) altitudes. However, data on the effects of glucose metabolism due to CE and EE in hypoxia are scarce but would be of utmost importance considering the increasing number of persons suffering from impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes and the unique opportunities provided by the mountainous regions of the Alps to perform CE (e.g. uphill hiking) and EE (downhill hiking, downhill skiing) at altitude between 1500 - 3500 m. Metabolic responses to exercise may be largely mediated by interleukin 6 (IL-6), which is predominantly derived from the contracting limbs and may support the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis during exercise. In addition, IL-6 is elevated with acute and chronic altitude exposure at least partly mediated via adrenergic stimulation. Thus, the type of exercise as well as hypoxia may contribute to IL-6 elevations and differences in serum IL-6 concentrations might help to explain distinctions between responses of glucose metabolism to CE and EE at low and moderate to high altitude.

32 male subjects suffering from pre-diabetes will be randomly assigned to a downhill (EE) or uphill (CE) walking group performing 9 sessions at low altitude (860 - 1360 m) and 9 sessions at moderate to high altitude (2000 - 2500 m). Between normoxic and hypoxic condition will be a break of approximately 12 month. Measurements of glucose metabolism, IL-6 plasma concentration will be performed pre, mid (day 5) and post intervention. Moreover anthropometric, strength and exercise capacity characteristics will be performed pre and post intervention.

We hypothesize that EE in hypoxia is more effective in the modulation of glycemic control in pre-diabetic men than CE in hypoxia as well as EE and CE in normoxia. It is suggested that effects on glucose metabolism are associated with changes in plasma IL-6 concentrations. EE in hypoxia is expected to result in a more persistent rise of plasma IL-6 concentration than CE in hypoxia and in normoxia and to a more pronounced rise in plasma IL-6 than EE in normoxia.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Not desired.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

32

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Austria
      • Innsbruck, Austria, 6020
        • Department of Sport Science, Medical Section, University of Innsbruck

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

50 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Pre-diabetes
  • male
  • age 50-65 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • smoking
  • BMI > 30 kg/m2
  • diseases not compatible with intervention

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Low altitude
Walking uphill Walking downhill
Other: Walking uphill
ascending about 500 m
Other: Walking downhill
descending about 500 m
Active Comparator: High altitude
Walking uphill Walking downhill
Other: Walking uphill
ascending about 500 m
Other: Walking downhill
descending about 500 m

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Glucose tolerance
Time Frame: 18 months
18 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Myokines
Time Frame: 18 months
18 months
Cardiovascular fitness
Time Frame: 18 months
18 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Universitaet Innsbruck

Collaborators

Medical University Innsbruck

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Martin Burtscher, Professor, department of sport science, medical section, university innsbruck

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

June 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2014

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 27, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 27, 2013

First Posted (Estimate)

July 2, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 22, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 17, 2019

Last Verified

January 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AN5029

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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