Impact of an exercise program on acylcarnitines in obesity: A prospective controlled study

Background: acylcarnitine (ac) transport dysfunction into the mitochondrial matrix is one of the pathophysiological mechanisms of type 2 diabetes mellitus (dm). the effect of an aerobic exercise (ae) program on this condition in obese subjects without dm is unclear.methods: a prospective,randomized,longitudinal,interventional study in a university research center involved a 10-week ae program in 32 women without dm and a body mass index (bmi) greater than 27 kg/m 2. (cases n = 17; controls n = 15). the primary objective was to evaluate the influence of a controlled ae program on beta-oxidation according to modifications in short,medium,and long-chain acs. secondary objectives were to define the behavior of amino acids,and the correlation between these modifications with metabolic and anthropometric markers.results: the proportion of dropouts was 17% and 6% in controls and cases,respectively. in cases there was a significant reduction in total carnitine (30.40 [95% ci 28.2 to 35.6]) vs. (29.4 [ci 95% 25.1 to 31.7]) p = 0.0008 and long-chain ac c14 (0.06 [95% ci 0.05 to 0.08]) vs. (0.05 [95% ci 0.05 to 0.09]) p = 0.005 and in c18 (0.31 [95% ci 0.27 to 0.45]) vs. (0.28 [95% ci 0.22 to 0.32]) p = 0.03. free fatty acid levels remained without change during the study in both groups.conclusion: in conclusion,a controlled 10-week ae program improved beta-oxidation by reducing long-chain acs. this finding highlights the importance that ae might have in avoiding or reverting lipotoxicity,and in consequence,improving insulin sensitivity and pancreatic beta cell functional reserve. © 2012 rodriguez-gutierrez et al.; licensee biomed central ltd.