Sprint interval training decreases left-ventricular glucose uptake compared to moderate-intensity continuous training in subjects with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with reduced myocardial glucose uptake (GU) and increased free fatty acid uptake (FFAU). Sprint interval training (SIT) improves physical exercise capacity and metabolic biomarkers, but effects of SIT on cardiac function and energy substrate metabolism in diabetic subjects are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that SIT is more effective than moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on adaptations in left and right ventricle (LV and RV) glucose and fatty acid metabolism in diabetic subjects. Twenty-six untrained men and women with T2DM or prediabetes were randomized into two-week-long SIT (n = 13) and MICT (n = 13) interventions. Insulin-stimulated myocardial GU and fasted state FFAU were measured by positron emission tomography and changes in LV and RV structure and function by cardiac magnetic resonance. In contrast to our hypothesis, SIT significantly decreased GU compared to MICT in LV. FFAU of both ventricles remained unchanged by training. RV end-diastolic volume (EDV) and RV mass increased only after MICT, whereas LV EDV, LV mass, and RV and LV end-systolic volumes increased similarly after both training modes. As SIT decreases myocardial insulin-stimulated GU compared to MICT which may already be reduced in T2DM, SIT may be metabolically less beneficial than MICT for a diabetic heart.