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Exercise Metabolism and Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Exercise and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 28105

Special Issue Editors

University School of Health and Sport (EUSES), University of Girona, 17004 Girona, Spain
Interests: physical activity; exercise; cardiovascular diseases; obesity; proteomics; genetics; epigenetics
Department of Health and Exercise Science, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
Interests: exercise physiology; network physiology; synchronization; coupling; physical fitness; sports training; complex systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A sedentary lifestyle combined with an inappropriate energy intake contributes to the development of non-communicable diseases. Many of the risk factors for those chronic diseases are modifiable, from early childhood or even before.

Adipose tissue and skeletal muscle secrete molecules capable of modulating local and systemic metabolism. Liver is also related with energy storing and utilization and it has been recently shown that produces and secretes hepatokines that may convey whole-body beneficial effects. Finally, heart and bone can also produce and secrete hormones that regulate several metabolic processes.

Regular physical activity not only produces metabolic, physiological, and molecular adaptations to skeletal muscle but also to adipose tissue, liver, heart, and bone. Exercise is known to be one of the best non-pharmacological interventions for the prevention and treatment of many diseases. However, there is an extensive lack of knowledge on endocrine or epigenetic adaptations to exercise and the crosstalk between the abovementioned tissues produced by regular physical activity or exercise.

The aims of the proposed research topic are (but not limited to):

  1. The relationship between the newly described endocrine organs (skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, liver, heart and bone).
  2. Identification and characterization of new hormones, miRNAs or exosomes by skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, liver, heart and bone.
  3. The constitutively or regulatory secreted hormones by the abovementioned organs under physical exercise conditions.
  4. The effect of exercise-induced fatigue on metabolic, physiological, and molecular adaptations.
  5. The effect of different types of exercise training interventions (e.g., resistance training, moderate intensity continuous training, high-intensity interval training) on metabolic, physiological, and molecular adaptations.
  6. Exercise-related metabolic, physiological, and molecular adaptations of skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, liver, heart, and bone in individuals with metabolic diseases.
  7. Exercise prescription to achieve optimal metabolic, physiological, and molecular adaptations in the crosstalk among skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, liver, heart, or bone.
  8. The effect of exercise or metabolic diseases in the tissue crosstalk and coupling among different organs in children, adults, elderly, athletes, or pregnant woman.
  9. The effect of exercise or metabolic diseases during preconception or pregnancy in the offspring tissue crosstalk.

Dr. Anna Prats-Puig
Dr. Sergi Garcia-Retortillo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Endocrinology
  • crosstalk
  • coupling
  • exercise
  • physical activity
  • skeletal muscle
  • adipose tissue
  • liver
  • myokines
  • adipokines
  • hepatokines
  • mirnas
  • exosomes
  • children
  • adults
  • elderly
  • pregnancy
  • athletes

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 517 KiB  
Article
Cardiorespiratory Coordination in Collegiate Rowing: A Network Approach to Cardiorespiratory Exercise Testing
by Zacharias Papadakis, Michelle Etchebaster and Sergi Garcia-Retortillo
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13250; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013250 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1596
Abstract
Collegiate rowing performance is often assessed by a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). Rowers’ on-water performance involves non-linear dynamic interactions and synergetic reconfigurations of the cardiorespiratory system. Cardiorespiratory coordination (CRC) method measures the co-variation among cardiorespiratory variables. Novice (n = 9) vs. Intermediate [...] Read more.
Collegiate rowing performance is often assessed by a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). Rowers’ on-water performance involves non-linear dynamic interactions and synergetic reconfigurations of the cardiorespiratory system. Cardiorespiratory coordination (CRC) method measures the co-variation among cardiorespiratory variables. Novice (n = 9) vs. Intermediate (n = 9) rowers’ CRC (H0: Novice CRC = Intermediate CRC; HA: Novice CRC < Intermediate CRC) was evaluated through principal components analysis (PCA). A female NCAA Division II team (N = 18) grouped based on their off-water performance on 6000 m time trial. Rowers completed a customized CPET to exhaustion and a variety of cardiorespiratory values were recorded. The number of principal components (PCs) and respective PC eigenvalues per group were computed on SPSS vs28. Intermediate (77%) and Novice (33%) groups showed one PC1. Novice group formed an added PC2 due to the shift of expired fraction of oxygen or, alternatively, heart rate/ventilation, from the PC1 cluster of examined variables. Intermediate rowers presented a higher degree of CRC, possible due to their increased ability to utilize the bicarbonate buffering system during the CPET. CRC may be an alternative measure to assess aerobic fitness providing insights to the complex cardiorespiratory interactions involved in rowing during a CPET. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Metabolism and Health)
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11 pages, 993 KiB  
Article
Effects of Crawling before Walking: Network Interactions and Longitudinal Associations in 7-Year-Old Children
by Jorge Cazorla-González, Sergi García-Retortillo, Mariano Gacto-Sánchez, Gerard Muñoz-Castro, Juan Serrano-Ferrer, Blanca Román-Viñas, Abel López-Bermejo, Raquel Font-Lladó and Anna Prats-Puig
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5561; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095561 - 03 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2824
Abstract
Background: To study the impact of crawling before walking (CBW) on network interactions among body composition, the cardiovascular system, lung function, motor competence and physical fitness, at age 7, and to assess the longitudinal association between CBW and body composition, the cardiovascular system, [...] Read more.
Background: To study the impact of crawling before walking (CBW) on network interactions among body composition, the cardiovascular system, lung function, motor competence and physical fitness, at age 7, and to assess the longitudinal association between CBW and body composition, the cardiovascular system, lung function, motor competence, physical fitness and physical activity parameters, at age 7. Method: CBW, body composition, cardiovascular system, lung function, motor competence, physical fitness and physical activity were assessed in seventy-seven healthy Caucasian children. Results: Network analyses revealed that the crawling group had a greater number of links among all the studied variables compared with the non-crawling group. In the longitudinal study, using multiple regression analyses, crawling was independently associated with fat mass (%), fat-to-muscle ratio and systolic blood pressure, with models explaining up to 56.3%, 56.7% and 29.9% of their variance, respectively. Conclusions: CBW during child’s development is a possible modulator in the network interactions between body systems and it could influence future metabolic and cardiovascular health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Metabolism and Health)
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12 pages, 2442 KiB  
Article
Effects of Different Intensity Exercise on Glucose Metabolism and Hepatic IRS/PI3K/AKT Pathway in SD Rats Exposed with TCDD
by Huohuo Wang, Juanjuan Wang, Yihua Zhu, Huiping Yan and Yifan Lu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13141; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413141 - 13 Dec 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2187
Abstract
The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of different intensity exercise and 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposure on glucose metabolism in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, as well as the action of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)/phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI3K)/protein kinase (AKT) signaling pathway in it. [...] Read more.
The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of different intensity exercise and 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposure on glucose metabolism in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, as well as the action of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)/phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI3K)/protein kinase (AKT) signaling pathway in it. Besides that, we explored whether exercise can alleviate the toxicity induced by TCDD. Sixty male SD rats (8 weeks old) were randomly divided into non-exercise group, none-exercise toxic group, moderate-intensity exercise group, moderate-intensity exercise toxic group, high-intensity exercise group, high-intensity exercise toxic group. The toxic groups were intraperitoneally injected with TCDD, which the dose was 6.4 µg/kg· BW for the first week, then 21% of the above week dose for continuous 8 weeks. The 8-week treadmill running of moderate intensity (15 m/min, 60 min/day) and high intensity (26 m/min, 35 min/day) were implemented separately in exercise groups five times a week. After detecting the concentration of fasting serum glucose, insulin and C-peptide, the index of the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and islet β-cell secretion (HOMA-β) were calculated. We measured the hepatic mRNA expression levels of IRS2, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA), AKT by real-time PCR. The protein expression of total IRS2 (tIRS2), phosphorylated IRS2 at Ser731 (pSer731), total PIK3CA (tPIK3CA), total Akt (tAkt), phosphorylated Akt at Thr308 (pThr308) in liver were analyzed by western blot. We observed that compared to the non-exercise group, insulin and HOMA-IR index were significantly higher in the none-exercise toxic group (p < 0.05), while glucose, insulin, C-peptide and HOMA-IR index were significantly lower in the moderate-intensity exercise group (p < 0.05). In the high-intensity exercise group, the HOMA-IR index was significantly lower and the gene expression of IRS2 was significantly higher than in the non-exercise group (p < 0.05). Besides that, the HOMA-β index in the moderate-intensity exercise toxic group was significantly higher compared to the none-exercise toxic group and moderate-intensity exercise group (p < 0.05). The level of IRS2mRNA was significantly lower in the high-intensity exercise toxic group than in the high-intensity exercise group (p < 0.05). Our results demonstrated that 8-week TCDD exposure could induce insulin resistance in rats, while exercise could improve insulin sensitivity in which moderate intensity was more obvious than high intensity exercise. Meanwhile, both intensity exercise could not effectively alleviate the insulin resistance induced by TCDD, but high intensity exercise could promote compensatory insulin secretion to maintain glucose homeostasis. Although the gene expression of IRS2 was changed in high-intensity exercise groups, the mediation role of the hepatic IRS2/PI3K/AKT pathway in the effects of exercise and TCDD exposure on glucose metabolism remains very limited. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Metabolism and Health)
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Review

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16 pages, 3518 KiB  
Review
A Bibliometric Analysis of the Literature on Irisin from 2012–2021
by Jiangshan Liu, Bote Qi, Lin Gan, Yanli Shen and Yu Zou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(10), 6153; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106153 - 18 May 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3598
Abstract
Irisin is a hormone-like molecule mainly released by skeletal muscles in response to exercise, which is proposed to induce the ‘browning’ of white adipose tissue. Since its identification, irisin was reported to be closely associated with many metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes [...] Read more.
Irisin is a hormone-like molecule mainly released by skeletal muscles in response to exercise, which is proposed to induce the ‘browning’ of white adipose tissue. Since its identification, irisin was reported to be closely associated with many metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and metabolic bone diseases. In recent years, irisin has attracted increasing research interest, and numerous studies have been published in this field. Thus, it is essential to identify the current research status of irisin and measure research hotspots and possible future trends. In this study, by utilizing two visualization software named CiteSpace and VOSviewer, we analyzed 1510 Web of Science publications on irisin published from 2012 to 2021. Our results show that the number of irisin-related articles published annually has increased significantly. China participates in the most studies, followed by the United States and Turkey. Firat University, Harvard University, and Shandong University are three major institutions with larger numbers of publications. The analysis of keywords co-occurrence indicates that insulin resistance, inflammation, and circulating irisin levels in serum are the research hotspots. Apoptosis, BDNF, and osteoporosis will likely become the focus of future research related to irisin. Overall, this study may provide helpful insights for researchers to understand the current research situation and identify the potential frontiers of irisin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Metabolism and Health)
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63 pages, 3700 KiB  
Review
Physiological Changes and Pathological Pain Associated with Sedentary Lifestyle-Induced Body Systems Fat Accumulation and Their Modulation by Physical Exercise
by Enrique Verdú, Judit Homs and Pere Boadas-Vaello
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13333; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413333 - 17 Dec 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 7275
Abstract
A sedentary lifestyle is associated with overweight/obesity, which involves excessive fat body accumulation, triggering structural and functional changes in tissues, organs, and body systems. Research shows that this fat accumulation is responsible for several comorbidities, including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic dysfunctions, as well [...] Read more.
A sedentary lifestyle is associated with overweight/obesity, which involves excessive fat body accumulation, triggering structural and functional changes in tissues, organs, and body systems. Research shows that this fat accumulation is responsible for several comorbidities, including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic dysfunctions, as well as pathological pain behaviors. These health concerns are related to the crosstalk between adipose tissue and body systems, leading to pathophysiological changes to the latter. To deal with these health issues, it has been suggested that physical exercise may reverse part of these obesity-related pathologies by modulating the cross talk between the adipose tissue and body systems. In this context, this review was carried out to provide knowledge about (i) the structural and functional changes in tissues, organs, and body systems from accumulation of fat in obesity, emphasizing the crosstalk between fat and body tissues; (ii) the crosstalk between fat and body tissues triggering pain; and (iii) the effects of physical exercise on body tissues and organs in obese and non-obese subjects, and their impact on pathological pain. This information may help one to better understand this crosstalk and the factors involved, and it could be useful in designing more specific training interventions (according to the nature of the comorbidity). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Metabolism and Health)
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13 pages, 547 KiB  
Review
Unraveling the Role of Respiratory Muscle Metaboloreceptors under Inspiratory Training in Patients with Heart Failure
by Hugo Fernández-Rubio, Ricardo Becerro-de-Bengoa-Vallejo, David Rodríguez-Sanz, César Calvo-Lobo, Davinia Vicente-Campos and Jose López Chicharro
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(4), 1697; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041697 - 10 Feb 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2684
Abstract
Exercise intolerance may be considered a hallmark in patients who suffer from heart failure (HF) syndrome. Currently, there is enough scientific evidence regarding functional and structural deterioration of skeletal musculature in these patients. It is worth noting that muscle weakness appears first in [...] Read more.
Exercise intolerance may be considered a hallmark in patients who suffer from heart failure (HF) syndrome. Currently, there is enough scientific evidence regarding functional and structural deterioration of skeletal musculature in these patients. It is worth noting that muscle weakness appears first in the respiratory muscles and then in the musculature of the limbs, which may be considered one of the main causes of exercise intolerance. Functional deterioration and associated atrophy of these respiratory muscles are related to an increased muscle metaboreflex leading to sympathetic–adrenal system hyperactivity and increased pulmonary ventilation. This issue contributes to increased dyspnea and/or fatigue and decreased aerobic function. Consequently, respiratory muscle weakness produces exercise limitations in these patients. In the present review, the key role that respiratory muscle metaboloreceptors play in exercise intolerance is accurately addressed in patients who suffer from HF. In conclusion, currently available scientific evidence seems to affirm that excessive metaboreflex activity of respiratory musculature under HF is the main cause of exercise intolerance and sympathetic–adrenal system hyperactivity. Inspiratory muscle training seems to be a useful personalized medicine intervention to reduce respiratory muscle metaboreflex in order to increase patients’ exercise tolerance under HF condition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Metabolism and Health)
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Other

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34 pages, 7950 KiB  
Systematic Review
Multidisciplinary Neuromuscular and Endurance Interventions on Youth Basketball Players: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression
by Arnau Sacot, Víctor López-Ros, Anna Prats-Puig, Jesús Escosa, Jordi Barretina and Julio Calleja-González
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9642; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159642 - 05 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2808
Abstract
The main aims of this systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression were to describe the effect of multidisciplinary neuromuscular and endurance interventions, including plyometric training, mixed strength and conditioning, HIIT basketball programs and repeated sprint training on youth basketball players considering age, competitive [...] Read more.
The main aims of this systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression were to describe the effect of multidisciplinary neuromuscular and endurance interventions, including plyometric training, mixed strength and conditioning, HIIT basketball programs and repeated sprint training on youth basketball players considering age, competitive level, gender and the type of the intervention performed to explore a predictive model through a meta-regression analysis. A structured search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines and PICOS model in Medline (PubMed), Web of Science (WOS) and Cochrane databases. Groups of experiments were created according to neuromuscular power (vertical; NPV and horizontal; NPH) and endurance (E). Meta-analysis and sub-groups analysis were performed using a random effect model and pooled standardized mean differences (SMD). A random effects meta-regression was performed regressing SMD for the different sub-groups against percentage change for NPV and NPH. There was a significant positive overall effect of the multidisciplinary interventions on NPV, NPH and E. Sub-groups analysis indicate differences in the effects of the interventions on NPV and NPH considering age, gender, competitive level and the type of the intervention used. Considering the current data available, the meta-regression analysis suggests a good predictability of U-16 and plyometric training on jump performance. Besides, male and elite level youth basketball players had a good predictability on multidirectional speed and agility performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Metabolism and Health)
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16 pages, 2676 KiB  
Systematic Review
Effect of Chronic Resistance Training on Circulating Irisin: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
by Pedro L. Cosio, Manuel Crespo-Posadas, Álvaro Velarde-Sotres and Mireia Pelaez
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(5), 2476; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052476 - 03 Mar 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3997
Abstract
Irisin seems to play an important role in several chronic diseases, however, the interactions between chronic training and irisin are still unclear. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the effect of chronic resistance training on circulating irisin in [...] Read more.
Irisin seems to play an important role in several chronic diseases, however, the interactions between chronic training and irisin are still unclear. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the effect of chronic resistance training on circulating irisin in adults. Literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science and EBSCOhost (Academic Search Complete) until December 2020. Randomized controlled trials researching irisin levels after a resistance training program for at least 8 weeks among an adult population were eligible. Other inclusion criteria comprised recruiting a control group and reporting circulating irisin through ELISA kits. Cohen’s d effect size and subgroup analyses (95% confidence level) were calculated using a random effects analysis model. Data of the seven included studies comprising 282 individuals showed an increasing and non-significant tendency after a resistance training program (d = 0.58, 95% CI: −0.25 to 1.40, p = 0.17). Subgroup analyses showed significant increases for the older adults group (p < 0.001) and when training is demanding and progressive in terms of intensity (p = 0.03). Data suggest that resistance training programs seem to increase circulating irisin, especially in older adults and in demanding and progressive training programs. However, more studies should be conducted using robust measurement methods, such as mass spectrometry, to better understand the interaction between chronic resistance exercise and irisin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exercise Metabolism and Health)
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