This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Obese individuals are typically beset with numerous negative health parameters, including impaired insulin sensitivity, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Excessive body fat and subsequent high availability of fatty acids in the blood have been implicated in many of these health problems. A single session of exercise has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity in obese individuals. Unfortunately, however, the improvements are less than those seen in lean individuals. Little is known about the mechanisms precluding this difference, but may relate to differences in fatty acid availability, intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG) accumulation and/or caloric balance. The project in this application is designed to examine the effect of a single session of endurance exercise, in obese individuals, on whole-body fatty acid mobilization and oxidation, IMTG concentration, and the expression of factors that regulate these processes in skeletal muscle. In addition, we will evaluate how these alterations are associated with improvements in insulin signaling and insulin sensitivity. We will also define the role energy balance plays toward the differences seen in insulin sensitivity between an exercised and sedentary individual. In the end, these experiments will provide insight into the cellular and whole-body changes in fatty acid metabolism in response to a single exercise session, which may lead to enhancement of insulin sensitivity. Identifying how exercise affects relationships between gene expression, whole-body fatty acid metabolism and insulin sensitivity may lead to improvements in the therapeutic and/or the preventative approach to obesity and its co-morbidities.
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