Sex- and endurance training-mediated cardiovascular protection through lipids during exercise

Julia An; Ariel S Thorson; David H Wasserman; John M Stafford; Lin Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.tem.2024.12.004

Sex- and endurance training-mediated cardiovascular protection through lipids during exercise

Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Dec 31:S1043-2760(24)00326-6. doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2024.12.004. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Julia An¹, Ariel S Thorson², David H Wasserman³, John M Stafford⁴, Lin Zhu⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Johns Hopkins University Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
² Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Valley Health System, Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN, USA.
³ Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
⁴ Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Valley Health System, Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN, USA.
⁵ Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Valley Health System, Veterans Affairs, Nashville, TN, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39743402
DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2024.12.004

Abstract

Premenopausal women and endurance-trained individuals of either sex have reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Endurance training shifts fuel selection towards fats to spare carbohydrates; interestingly, women prioritize fats as an energy resource more than men do during exercise. Relying on fats during exercise drives whole-body lipolysis and promotes lipid uptake and oxidation capacity in skeletal muscles. These metabolic adaptations during exercise result in protection against diet-induced obesity, a healthy body fat distribution, and reduced plasma triacylglycerol (TG) concentrations. Here, we analyze how sex differences and endurance training mediate changes in skeletal muscles, including exercise-induced lipolysis, lipid uptake and β-oxidation, intramuscular TG storage, and postexercise lipid metabolism, and discuss how regulating this processes affects CVD risk.

Keywords: CVD risk; endurance training; intramyocellular triacylglycerol (IMTG); muscle fiber types; post-exercise recovery; sex differences in fuel selection.

Publication types

Review

Abstract

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