title: Abnormal EKG stress test in rats with type 1 diabetes is deterred with low-intensity exercise programme.
abstract: The focus of this study was to determine whether minimal levels of exercise could halt the formation of diabetes-induced heart pathology. Seven-week-old male rats were divided into four groups: sedentary nondiabetic, exercise-trained non-diabetic, sedentary diabetic and exercise-trained diabetic. Individualised exercise programmes were based on the animal's tolerance, and continued for 7 weeks after the induction of diabetes. At the completion of the study, no differences were found in skeletal muscle citrate synthase activity between diabetic sedentary and exercise-trained rats, indicating that the exercise was low intensity. Diabetes-induced heart hypertrophy was not reversed with exercise as measured by heart-to-body weight ratios and EKG (R wave height). There was no statistical difference between groups in the response to an exercise stress test prior to the induction of diabetes. However, 4 weeks of diabetes resulted in a significant decrease in resting and post-stress test heart rates (9% and 20%, respectively), which remained depressed at week 7. The sedentary diabetic animals demonstrated an abnormal response during the recovery period of the EKG exercise test, which was not present in non-diabetic or exercise-trained diabetic animals. In conclusion, lowintensity exercise training improved the cardiac response to an exercise stress test in diabetic animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: I V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Smirnova
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kibiryeva
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vidoni
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bunag
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stehno-Bittel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000503:physiopathology; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000503:physiopathology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D008297:Male; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012420:Running
chemical_list: D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase