Effect of antecedent moderate-intensity exercise on the glycemia-increasing effect of a 30-sec maximal sprint: a sex comparison

This study investigated whether a prior bout of moderate-intensity exercise attenuates the glycemia-increasing effect of a maximal 30-sec sprint. A secondary aim was to determine whether the effect of antecedent exercise on the glucoregulatory response to sprinting is affected by sex. Participants (men n = 8; women n = 7) were tested on two occasions during which they either rested (CON) or cycled for 60-min at a moderate intensity of ~65% [Image: see text] (EX) before performing a 30-sec maximal cycling effort 195 min later. In response to the sprint, blood glucose increased to a similar extent between EX and CON trials, peaking at 10 min of recovery, with no difference between sexes (P > 0.05). Blood glucose then declined at a faster rate in EX, and this was associated with a glucose rate of disappearance (R(d)) that exceeded the glucose rate of appearance (R(a)) earlier in EX compared with CON, although the overall glucose R(a) and R(d) profile was higher in men compared with women (P < 0.05). The response of growth hormone was attenuated during recovery from EX compared with CON (P < 0.05), with a lower absolute response in women compared with men (P < 0.05). The response of epinephrine and norepinephrine was also lower in women compared with men (P < 0.05) but similar between trials. In summary, a prior bout of moderate-intensity exercise does not affect the magnitude of the glycemia-increasing response to a 30-sec sprint; however, the subsequent decline in blood glucose is more rapid. This blood glucose response is similar between men and women, despite less pronounced changes in glucose R(a) and R(d), and a lower response of plasma catecholamines and growth hormone to sprinting in women.