Effect of acute exercise and exercise training on the ability of insulin to clear branched-chain amino acids from plasma in obesity and type 2 diabetes
An erratum to this article was published (Diabetologia, Jun 2026 ↗)
Authors' conclusion
Our results demonstrate that insulin's ability to suppress plasma BCAAs is impaired in type 2 diabetes but is intact in individuals with obesity. Although acute exercise reduces fasting BCAA levels, neither acute exercise nor exercise training affects insulin's ability to suppress plasma BCAAs in glucose-tolerant individuals with or without obesity or in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Study context
- Population
- Participants with T2D matched to glucose-tolerant individuals with obesity and lean individuals4 case-control studies
- Comparison
- T2D vs glucose-tolerant obesity vs lean; with or without acute exercise; before vs after exercise training
- Outcome
- Ability of insulin to clear (reduce) plasma BCAAs during hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp
Methodological detailsmatched, acute exercise, exercise training, Acute exercise: 60 min, 70% V̇O2max (study II); 10 weeks endurance training (study III); 8 weeks high-intensity interval training (study IV)
- Matched
- Acute exercise
- Exercise training
- Acute exercise: 60 min, 70% V̇O2max (study II); 10 weeks endurance training (study III); 8 weeks high-intensity interval training (study IV)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Insulin-mediated reduction of plasma BCAAs
- Acute exercise did not potentiate insulin's ability to reduce plasma branched-chain amino acid (BCAAs) (study II)
- Exercise training did not affect insulin's ability to reduce plasma BCAAs in any group or rescue the attenuated suppression in T2D (studies III and IV)
- T2D vs Lean: all p<0.05
- T2D vs Obesity: all p<0.05
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | P value |
|---|---|
| Insulin sensitivityT2D vs Obesity · Reduced in T2D (studies I-IV) | all p<0.05 |
| Insulin sensitivityT2D vs Lean · Reduced in T2D (studies I and IV) | all p<0.05 |
| Insulin sensitivityObesity vs Lean · Reduced in obesity (study I) | all p<0.05 |
| Plasma BCAAsT2D vs Obesity · Elevated in T2D (studies I, III and IV) | all p<0.05 |
| Plasma BCAAsT2D vs Lean · Elevated in T2D (studies I and IV) | all p<0.05 |
- Insulin sensitivity — Exercise training (studies III and IV) increased insulin sensitivity in all groups
- all p<0.01
Plasma BCAAs
- Acute exercise slightly reduced plasma BCAAs in T2D and obesity (study II)
- Exercise training had no impact on fasting BCAAs (studies III and IV)
Original publication
Effect of acute exercise and exercise training on the ability of insulin to clear branched-chain amino acids from plasma in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia. Published 22 May 2025. doi:10.
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