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  • Original Article
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Carbohydrates, glycemic index and diabetes mellitus

Effect of increased physical activity on fructose-induced glycemic response in healthy individuals

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 68, pages 1048–1054 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

The purpose of the current study was to determine whether increased physical activity (PA) altered glycemic control while ingesting an energy-balanced high-fructose diet.

Subjects/Methods:

Twenty-two normal-weight men and women (age: 21.2±0.6 years; body mass index: 22.6 ±0.6 kg/m2) participated in a randomized, cross-over design study in which they ingested an additional 75 g of fructose for 14 days while either maintaining low PA (FR+inactive) (<4500 steps/day) or high PA (FR+active) (>12 000 steps/day). Before and following the 2-week loading period, a fructose-rich meal challenge was administered and blood was sampled at baseline and for 6 h after the meal and analyzed for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), c-peptide, glucose and insulin concentrations.

Results:

Plasma insulin, glucose, c-peptide, GIP and GLP-1 concentrations significantly increased in response to the test meal on all test visits (P<0.05). C-peptide incremental area under the curve (AUC) decreased by 10 208 ±120 pmol/l × min for 6 h from pre to post Fr+active intervention (P=0.02) leading to a decrease in plasma insulin total AUC (pre: 58 470.2±6261.0 pmol/l; post: 49 444.3±3883.0 pmol/l; P=0.04) resulting in a decrease Δpeak[Insulin] (P=0.009). Following the FR+active intervention, GIP total AUC significantly decreased (P=0.005) yet only males had a lower total GLP-1 AUC after both interventions (P=0.049). There were no sex differences in GIP levels.

Conclusions:

Increased PA attenuates the deleterious effects on glycemic control caused by a high-fructose diet. These changes in glycemic control with PA are associated with decreases in insulin and GIP concentrations.

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Acknowledgements

All authors read and approved the final manuscript. This study was supported by a NIH R21DK084467-01 grant and the Syracuse University School of Education Research and Creative Grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Promotion and Wellness, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY, USA

    A J Bidwell

  2. Department of Exercise Science, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA

    A J Bidwell & S Keslacy

  3. School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Austrailia,

    T J Fairchild

  4. Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, CA, USA,

    L Wang

  5. Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    J A Kanaley

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  1. A J Bidwell
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  2. T J Fairchild
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Correspondence to A J Bidwell.

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Bidwell, A., Fairchild, T., Wang, L. et al. Effect of increased physical activity on fructose-induced glycemic response in healthy individuals. Eur J Clin Nutr 68, 1048–1054 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2014.90

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