Mechanisms of Insulin Resistance and Exercise in South Asians

Effects of Exercise Training on Insulin Sensitivity in South Asians at Risk of Diabetes: the Roles of Skeletal Muscle Microvasculature and Mitochondrial Metabolism

This study determines the effect of aerobic and resistance exercise training on whole-body and skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity in south Asians and evaluate the mechanisms which contribute to improvements in insulin sensitivity after exercise training.

Study Overview

• Status: Suspended
• Conditions: Insulin Resistance
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Aerobic exercise programme; Behavioral: Resistance exercise programme

Detailed Description

South Asians (SA) have 2-4 fold higher risk of type 2 diabetes and develop the disease at lower body weights and younger ages than white Europeans. Lower cardiorespiratory fitness and capacity for muscle fat oxidation contributes substantially to SAs' greater insulin resistance, the extent to which this can be improved by exercise training is unclear. This randomised controlled trial will investigate the effects of a 12-week aerobic or resistance exercise training intervention on insulin sensitivity (hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp) in South Asian adults (22 control, 22 aerobic exercise group and 22 resistance exercise group). The study will also explore the mechanisms within skeletal muscle which mediate these changes by evaluating aerobic and resistance exercise-training induced changes: in basal and insulin-stimulated microvascular blood volume (using contrast-enhanced ultrasound); skeletal muscle mitochondrial function; and lipid droplet morphology and spatial interaction with mitochrondria, muscle fibre capillarisation, endothelial content of key enzymes controlling dilation/constriction and GLUT-4 translocation (using confocal immunofluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy methods). Thus, this work will integrate physiological and molecular data to determine the extent to which exercise training can improve insulin sensitivity in SA and the mechanisms underpinning this improvement. This knowledge is important for optimising diabetes prevention interventions in SAs and identification of potential novel therapeutic targets.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 66
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Glasgow, United Kingdom, G12 8QQ
    • University of Glasgow

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 30 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male
• South Asian ethnicity (self-report of both parents of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan origin)
• Age 30-65 years
• At least 10% 10-year risk of developing type 2 diabetes, determined using the QDiabetes®2018 risk score (http://qdiabetes.org/2018/index.php)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Female
• Diabetes (physician diagnosed or HbA1c ≥48 mmol/mol on screening)
• History of cardiovascular disease
• Hypertension (taking anti-hypertensives or BP consistently ≥ 150/90 mmHg on screening).
• Regular participation in vigorous physical activity
• Regular participation in resistance exercise
• Current smoking
• Taking drugs or supplements thought to affect carbohydrate or lipid metabolism
• Taking drugs affecting blood clotting (e.g. aspirin)
• Current treatment with anti-obesity drugs
• Any other significant illness that would prevent full participation in the study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control Group; Participants assigned to the control arm of the study will be asked to maintain their normal dietary and exercise habits.
Experimental: Aerobic exercise group; Participants randomised to the aerobic exercise intervention will undertake a 12-week aerobic exercise training programme.	Behavioral: Aerobic exercise programme; Participants will start with 3 x 20 minute exercise sessions in the first week, building up to 5 x 60 minutes of exercise by weeks 9-12 of the intervention, at an intensity of 65-80% of predicted maximum heart rate.
Experimental: Resistance exercise group; Participants randomised to the resistance exercise intervention will undertake a 12-week aerobic exercise training programme.	Behavioral: Resistance exercise programme; Participants will undertake two supervised sessions per week. The exercises performed during each session will consist of leg press, calf press, leg extension, leg curl, chest press, shoulder press, lateral pull down and seated row. Exercises will be performed at 60-80% 1RM. In weeks 1-2 participants will perform, during each session, a single set of 5-10 repetitions of each exercise (tiring but comfortably achievable) to ensure they are comfortable with the exercises and are performing these in the correct form. In weeks 3-4 participants will perform, during each session, two sets of each exercise to voluntary muscular failure - defined as not being able to perform single another repetition. In weeks 5-12 this will progress to 3 sets of each exercise to voluntary muscular failure, in each session.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Whole-body Insulin sensitivity	Change in whole-body insulin sensitivity measured by hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp.	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation	Change in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation in muscle biopsies from vastus lateralis using immunofluorescence microscopy	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Microvascular blood volume	Change in fold-increase in insulin stimulated quadriceps muscle blood volume measured using contrast enhanced ultrasound.	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Muscle mitochondrial function	Change in mitochondrial function (oxygen consumption rate) in isolated skeletal muscle mitochondria from the vastus lateralis measured using respirometry	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Lipid droplet content in skeletal muscle	Change in fibre type-specific (type 1 and type 2) and subcellular-specific (subsarcolemmal and intermyofibrillar) lipid droplet content in muscle biopsies from vastus lateralis using immunofluorescence microscopy	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Lipid droplet proximity to mitochondria in skeletal muscle	Change in proportion of lipid droplets in contact with mitochondria in subsarcolemmal and intermyofibrillar compartments of type 1 and type 2 muscle fibres in muscle biopsies from vastus lateralis using immunofluorescence microscopy	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Microvascular density in skeletal muscle	Change in fibre-type specific capillarisation in muscle biopsies from vastus lateralis	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Change in enzymes controlling insulin-mediated increases in perfusion in skeletal muscle	Change in endothelial specific protein content and phosphorylation of key microvascular enzymes in muscle biopsies from vastus lateralis assessed using quantitative immunofluorescence.	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Maximal oxygen uptake	Change in maximal oxygen uptake consumption assessed using continuous incremental uphill walking protocol until volitional exhaustion.	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Muscle maximal voluntary contraction	Change in knee extensor muscles maximal voluntary contraction	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Lower body muscle strength	Change in 1-RM (one maximal repetition) (kg) for leg press.	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Upper body muscle strength	Change in 1-RM (one maximal repetition) (kg) for chest press.	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Grip strength	Change in grip strength (kg).	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Fat mass	Change in fat mass measured with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Fat-free mass	Change in fat-free mass measured with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Weight	Change in weight (kg).	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.
Waist circumference	Change in waist circumference (cm)	Change between baseline and 12 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Glasgow
• Collaborators: Medical Research Council

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Marx N, Davies MJ, Grant PJ, Mathieu C, Petrie JR, Cosentino F, Buse JB. Guideline recommendations and the positioning of newer drugs in type 2 diabetes care. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2021 Jan;9(1):46-52. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(20)30343-0. Epub 2020 Nov 4. Review. Erratum in: Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2021 Jan;9(1):e1.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Anticipated): August 1, 2021
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): March 1, 2023
• Study Completion (Anticipated): January 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 28, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 2, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): July 5, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 8, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 7, 2020
• Last Verified: October 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: aerobic exercise; resistance exercise; insulin resistance; exercise training; South Asians
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Hyperinsulinism; Insulin Resistance
• Other Study ID Numbers: 265320

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No