Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

The growing prevalence of obesity is a critical health issue for the developed world. This is particularly true because of the number of health complications associated with obesity, such as diabetes. After a meal, sugar (glucose) levels in the blood increase. In order to bring blood glucose levels back to normal, insulin is required. When the body does not respond to insulin (termed insulin resistance), the blood glucose cannot be brought back to a normal level. A long term elevation of glucose in the blood results in insulin resistance, which leads to diabetes. The goal of our laboratory research is to assess the effects of exercise on the development of obesity-induced insulin resistance and diabetes. Interestingly, epidemiological and experimental evidence has established that exercise training can PREVENT the development of insulin resistance. Studies have indicated that exercise increases the activity of the metabolic enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Exercise and metformin, a commonly prescribed drug in diabetics, activate muscle AMPK and we believe that this is important for mediating their insulin sensitizing effects. However, AMPK's mechanistic role in insulin resistance is not well understood. Exercise warrants additional research since it can unveil a critical job in mediating the preventative effects of exercise on insulin resistance. I will study the effects of exercise training and pharmacological intervention in insulin resistance in obese mouse models to establish HOW and WHY exercise and metformin help prevent insulin resistance and diabetes, serious health concerns for Canadians.