Women
with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have been shown to be less insulin
sensitive compared with control women, independent of BMI. Training is
associated with molecular adaptations in skeletal muscle improving glucose uptake
and metabolism in both healthy and type 2 diabetic individuals. In the present
study, lean, hyperandrogenic women with PCOS (n=9) and healthy controls (CON, n=9)
completed 14 weeks of controlled and supervised exercise training. In CON, the
training intervention increased whole
body insulin action
by 26% and
insulin-stimulated leg glucose uptake by 53%, together with increased
insulin-stimulated leg blood flow and a more oxidative muscle fiber type distribution.
In PCOS, no such changes were found, despite similar training intensity and
improvements in maximal oxygen uptake. In skeletal muscle of CON, but not PCOS,
training increased GLUT4 and HKII mRNA and protein expressions. These data suggest that the
impaired increase in whole body insulin action in women with PCOS with training
is caused by an impaired ability to upregulate key glucose handling
proteins for insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle, and insulin-stimulated
leg blood flow. Still, other
important benefits of exercise training appeared in women with PCOS, including an
improvement of the hyperandrogenic state.
Effects of metformin treatment on pregnancy outcomes in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome
