PMID 25164777

Research
All papers

Personalized metabolomics for predicting glucose tolerance changes in sedentary women after high-intensity interval training

Question

Can metabolomic profiles predict individual glucose-tolerance changes after six weeks of HIIT in sedentary overweight/obese women?

Summary

In 11 sedentary overweight or obese women, six weeks of supervised cycling HIIT improved VO2max and maximal workload, but glucose-tolerance responses varied, including unfavorable responses in some participants.

Methodology

  • Overweight/obese healthy sedentary women.
  • 11 participants.
  • Stationary cycle.
  • Work intervals: 60 s at workload eliciting 90% HRmax.
  • Recovery: 60 s light cycling at 50 W.
  • Intensity: 90% maximal heart rate.
  • 25 min.
  • 3 sessions/week.
  • 6 weeks.
  • Single-group pre-post metabolomics intervention
  • Glucose tolerance, VO2max, and Metabolomics were tracked.

Outcomes

Fitness

VO2max and maximal workload improved.

VO2max p=1.04E-3; Wmax p=2.35E-3.

Improved

Glucose

Group glucose improvement was not significant with all participants; responders varied.

tAUC p=0.0267 only after excluding one outlier.

Mixed

Prediction

Baseline and response metabolite ratios classified or predicted training glucose changes in this small sample.

TML/GlyCys-Cys-SS AUC=0.868, p=0.00581; MLR R2 about 0.99.

Improved

Insights

  • Fitness outcomes and glucose outcomes can diverge.
  • Personalized tracking matters for metabolic claims.

Limitations

  • Small sample
  • No non-exercise control
  • Women only
  • Menstrual phase not controlled
  • Free-living diet except standardized training-day breakfast
  • Limited metabolomics coverage

Safety

  • No clinical adverse events were reported.
  • The paper reported unfavorable metabolic response signals: 54% positive responders, 27% non-responders, and 18% negative responders for 2 h plasma glucose; one participant worsened fasting and 2 h glucose.
  • Sessions were supervised and participants with prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease were excluded.