Exercise increases serum fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels.
BACKGROUND
Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) increases glucose uptake. It is unknown if FGF21 serum levels are affected by exercise.


RESULTS
This was a comparative longitudinal study. Anthropometric and biochemical evaluation were carried out before and after a bout of exercise and repeated after two weeks of daily supervised exercise. The study sample was composed of 60 sedentary young healthy women. The mean age was 24±3.7 years old, and the mean BMI was 21.4±7.0 kg/m². The anthropometric characteristics did not change after two weeks of exercise. FGF21 levels significantly increased after two weeks of exercise (276.8 ng/l (142.8-568.6) vs. (460.8 (298.2-742.1), p<0.0001)). The delta (final-basal) log of serum FGF21, adjusted for BMI, showed a significant positive correlation with basal glucose (r = 0.23, p = 0.04), mean maximal heart rate (MHR) (r = 0.54, p<0.0001), mean METs (r = 0.40, p = 0.002), delta plasma epinephrine (r = 0.53, p<0.0001) and delta plasma FFAs (r = 0.35, p = 0.006). A stepwise linear regression model showed that glucose, MHR, METs, FFAs, and epinephrine, were factors independently associated with the increment in FGF21 after the exercise program (F = 4.32; r² = 0.64, p<0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Serum FGF21 levels significantly increased after two weeks of physical activity. This increment correlated positively with clinical parameters related to the adrenergic and lipolytic response to exercise.


BACKGROUND
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01512368.
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran, Mexico City, Mexico.
Daniel
D
Cuevas-Ramos
Paloma
P
Almeda-Valdés
Clara Elena
CE
Meza-Arana
Griselda
G
Brito-Córdova
Francisco J
FJ
Gómez-Pérez
Roopa
R
Mehta
Jorge
J
Oseguera-Moguel
Carlos A
CA
Aguilar-Salinas
D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans
C414620:fibroblast growth factor 21; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors