Inter-individual responses to sprint interval training, a pilot study investigating interactions with the sirtuin system

Abstract

Sprint interval training (SIT) is reported to improve blood glucose control and may be a useful public health tool. The sirtuins and associated genes are emerging as key players in blood glucose control. This study investigated the interplay between the sirtuin/NAD system and individual variation in insulin sensitivity responses after SIT in young healthy individuals. Before and after 4 weeks of SIT, body mass and fat percentage were measured and oral glucose tolerance tests performed in 20 young healthy participants (7 females). Blood gene expression profiles (all 7 mammalian sirtuin genes and 15 enzymes involved in conversion of tryptophan, bioavailable vitamin B3, and metabolic precursors to NAD). NAD/NADP was measured in whole blood. Significant reductions in body weight and body fat post-SIT were associated with altered lipid profiles, NAD/NADP, and regulation of components of the sirtuin/NAD system (NAMPT, NMNAT1, CD38, and ABCA1). Variable improvements in measured metabolic health parameters were evident and attributed to different responses in males and females, together with marked inter-individual variation in responses of the sirtuin/NAD system to SIT.