Effect of Acute Endurance and Resistance Exercise on Endocrine Hormones Directly Related to Lipolysis and Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis in Adult Individuals with Obesity

Dominique Hansen, Romain Meeusen, Annelies Mullens, Paul Dendale

In subjects with obesity, the implementation of long-term exercise intervention increases lean tissue mass and lowers adipose tissue mass. However, data indicate a blunted lipolytic response, and/or skeletal muscle protein synthesis, when subjects with obesity are exposed to acute endurance or resistance exercise, respectively. Therefore, subjects with obesity seem to display a suboptimal physiological response to acute exercise stimuli. It might be hypothesized that hormonal disturbances contribute, at least in part, to these abnormal physiological reactions in the obese. This review discusses the impact of acute endurance and resistance exercise on endocrine hormones directly related to lipolysis and/or skeletal muscle protein synthesis (insulin, [nor]epinephrine, cortisol, growth hormone, testosterone, triiodothyronine, atrial natriuretic peptide, insulin-like growth factor-1), as well as the impact of long-term endurance and resistance exercise intervention on these hormonal responses to acute endurance and resistance exercise. In the obese, some endocrinological disturbances during acute endurance and resistance exercise have been identified: a blunted blood growth hormone, atrial natriuretic peptide and epinephrine release, and greater cortisol and insulin release. These hormonal disturbances might contribute to a suppressed lipolytic response, and/or suppressed skeletal muscle protein synthesis, as a result of acute endurance or resistance exercise, respectively. In subjects with obesity, the impact of acute endurance and resistance exercise on other endocrine hormones (norepinephrine, testosterone, triiodothyronine, insulin-like growth factor-1) remains elusive. Furthermore, whether long-term endurance and resistance exercise intervention might reverse these hormonal disturbances during acute endurance and resistance exercise in these individuals remains unknown.