Summary
Fifteen highly trained marathon runners gave their consent to participate in a study designed to investigate the effects of exercise-training on adipose tissue morphology and metabolism. They were submitted to an adipose tissue biopsy in the suprailiac region and their results were compared with an age and weight matched control group. As expected, runners were characterized by a lower percent body fat. They also had a significantly smaller mean fat cell diameter. Moreover, runners had significantly higher basal, epineprine sub-maximal, and epinephrine maximal stimulated lipolysis than controls. \(\dot VO_2\) max and body fatness were significantly correlated to adipocytes lipolysis. However, when seven runners were paired for mean fat cell diameter and percent body fat with seven sedentary control subjects, no differences in lipolytic activities were observed. These results indicate that high adipose tissue lipolytic activity is associated with low percent body fat in highly trained endurance runners.
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Supported by FCAC-Quebec (EQ-1330, CE-29) and by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (E-6227, G-0850, A-8150)
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Després, J.P., Savard, R., Tremblay, A. et al. Adipocyte diameter and lipolytic activity in marathon runners: Relationship with body fatness. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 51, 223–230 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00455185
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00455185