Date of Award
2026-08-01
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Advisor(s)
Sudip Bajpeyi
Abstract
Introduction: Insulin resistance is a precursor to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Early detection of insulin resistance and intervention is essential to prevent cardiometabolic illnesses and maintain a good quality of life. Exercise is well known to improve health across populations. Concurrent aerobic and resistance exercise training results in a superior outcome compared to aerobic or resistance training alone. Males and females differ in body composition, physiology and response to exercise. Females have a greater body fat percent for a given weight compared to males. However, males have greater central obesity compared to females. Females tend to have a higher proportion of type 1 (slow twitch/oxidative) muscle fibers compared to males. These physiological differences in part contribute to the greater prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease among males in comparison to females. Whether the effectiveness of exercise training is biased by sex is inconclusive. This study sought to investigate (i) the effect of 8 weeks of concurrent exercise training on glycemic control and other cardiovascular health parameters among insulin resistant (IR) normoglycemic adults in comparison to their insulin sensitive (IS) counterparts and to determine (ii) sex differences in the impact of concurrent exercise training on glycemic control and other cardiometabolic indicators. Methods: Twenty-three participants (9 males and 14 females) underwent an eight-week concurrent exercise training. A subset of 11 IS (4 males, 7 females) and nine IR (3 males, 6 females) was analyzed for the effect of the intervention among IS and IR. Aerobic training was immediately followed by resistance training. Aerobic training was performed between 65% and 75% V̿O2 peak matched heart rate using polar heart rate monitors (Bethpage, NY). The intensity of the aerobic exercise increased by 5% every two weeks from the first week until 75% V̿O2 peak in the fifth week. The aerobic component comprised 5 minutes warm up, 30 minutes at target heart rate, and 5 minutes cool down on a treadmill. The resistance exercise comprised 3 upper 3 lower body exercises (an upper body followed by a lower body exercise) for each session. Three sets of 8 repetitions were performed for each exercise. Resistance exercise started at 60% 1 repetition maximum and increased by 5% every two weeks until 75% was reached in the 7th week. The data was analyzed by 2-way ANOVA for the insulin sensitive versus insulin resistant, and the male versus female analysis. Glycemic control (glycated hemoglobin) improved in both IR and IS groups. Results: The following parameters improved among the IR group preferentially to the IS group CGM glucose fluctuations (standard deviation) (p = 0.04), CGM mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (MAGE) (p = 0.003), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.005), mean arterial pressure (p = 0.002). While body weight adjusted V̿O2 peak (p = 0.04) preferentially improved among the IS group. All other variables were not preferentially improved in one group in comparison to the other. When categorized by sex, apart from fasting blood glucose which was preferentially improved in males (interaction p value = 0.04) and some strength indices [i.e. leg extension (fat free mass adjusted 1RM (p = 0.03)], the improvement in all the other cardiometabolic health indicators were not different between males and females. Conclusion: The current thesis demonstrates that concurrent exercise training improves cardiometabolic health among normoglycemic adults regardless of insulin sensitivity or biological. Future research is warranted on exploring the longer-term impacts of concurrent exercise training particularly on glycemic control and the potential differences between males and females.
Language
en
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
Copyright Date
2026-08
File Size
141 p.
File Format
application/pdf
Rights Holder
Joshua Labadah
Recommended Citation
Labadah, Joshua, "The Effects Of Eight Weeks Of Concurrent Exercise Training On Glycemic Control And Cardiometabolic Health: Influence Of Insulin Sensitivity And Biological Sex" (2026). Open Access Theses & Dissertations. 4712.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/open_etd/4712