Rj. Sigal et al., Glucoregulation during and after intense exercise: Effects of beta-adrenergic blockade in subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus, J CLIN END, 84(11), 1999, pp. 3961-3971
In intense exercise (>80% maximum oxygen uptake) a huge, up to 8-fold incre
ase in glucose production (Ra) is tightly correlated to marked increases in
plasma norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine. Both Ra and glucose uptake (Rd
) are enhanced, not reduced, during beta-adrenergic blockade in normal subj
ects. beta-Blockade also caused a greater fall in immunoreactive insulin (I
RI) during exercise, which could, in turn, have increased Pa directly or vi
a an increased glucagon/insulin ratio. To control for adrenergic effects on
endogenous insulin secretion, we tested type 1 diabetic subjects (DM) made
euglycemic by overnight iv insulin that was kept constant in rate during a
nd after exercise. Their responses to postabsorptive cycle ergometer exerci
se at 85-87% maximum oxygen uptake for approximately 14 min were compared t
o those of similar male control (CP) subjects. Six DM and seven CP subjects
received iv 150 mu g/kg propranolol over 20 min, then 80 mu g/kg.min from
-30 min, during exercise and far 60 min during recovery. Plasma glucose inc
reased from similar resting values to peaks of 6.8 mmol/L in DM and 6.5 mmo
l/L in CP, then returned to resting values in CP within 20 min, but in DIM,
remained higher than in CP from 8-60 min (P = 0.049). Ra rose rapidly unti
l exhaustion, to 13.3 mg/kg.min in CP and 11.6 in DM (P = NS). Pa declined
rapidly in recovery, although somewhat more slowly in DM (P = 0.013 from 2-
15 min). The Rd increased to 10.6 in CP and 9.2 mg/kg min in DM (P = NS), t
hen declined similarly in early recovery, but remained higher in CP from 50
-100 min (P = 0.05). The rises in plasma glucose during exercise in both gr
oups were thus due to the increments in Rd less than those in Pa. The highe
r recovery glucose in DM was due to the slower decline in Ra and the lower
Rd in later recovery. IRI was higher in DM than in CP before exercise (P =
0.011), and whereas it decreased in CP (P < 0.05), it increased approximate
ly 2-fold in DM, thus being higher throughout exercise (P = 0.003). The glu
cagon/insulin ratio was unchanged in DM, but increased in CP during exercis
e (P = 0.002). NE showed a rapid, marked increment during exercise to peak
values of 23.7 nmol/L in CP and 25.7 nmol/L in DIM (P = NS), and epinephrin
e showed parallel responses. Both correlated significantly with the Ra resp
onses. In summary, the Ra responses of both DM and CP during exercise were
greater than those of control unblocked subjects (previously reported) desp
ite higher IRI (all exogenous) in DM. This suggests an important contributi
on of direct a-adrenergic stimulation to this Pa effect.