Exercise Dose and Metformin for Vascular Health in Adults With Metabolic Syndrome

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The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether combining different intensities of exercise (specifically low and high-intensity) with the drug metformin has the potential to outperform either exercise intensity alone and improve blood flow in individuals with metabolic syndrome. Metformin is a com...

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether combining different intensities of exercise (specifically low and high-intensity) with the drug metformin has the potential to outperform either exercise intensity alone and improve blood flow in individuals with metabolic syndrome. Metformin is a commonly used drug to help manage blood sugar. This study is being done because of the high prevalence of both type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome in the United States. Metabolic syndrome refers to a group of risk factors that raises an individual's risk for heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes, and other health problems. These risk factors include a large waistline, high levels of fat in the blood, high blood pressure and high fasting blood sugars. By adding manageable amounts of physical activity and taking the drug metformin, it is conceivable that individuals could greatly reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the objective of the investigator's research is to understand how metformin effects both vascular (related to blood flow) and metabolic (related to the body's normal biochemical processes)insulin sensitivity in adults with metabolic syndrome and the role of training intensity on these factors. The term insulin sensitivity refers to how the body's cells react to glucose, also known as blood sugar. In individuals that are insulin sensitive, their cells are better able to process the glucose to use for energy and other metabolic processes. In individuals that are insulin resistant, or who have a lower sensitivity, their cells are not able to efficiently use the available blood glucose, which results in higher blood glucose levels that can lead to negative health outcomes, including the development of type 2 diabetes. The overarching hypothesis is that metformin may blunt the adaptation following high intensity exercise by lowering the amount of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress refers to an imbalance of the body's reactive oxygen species and the body's ability to detoxify these chemical molecules to reduce inflammation and damage. Thus, compared with high intensity exercise plus metformin, low intensity exercise plus metformin will produce greater vascular and metabolic insulin sensitivity changes following 16 weeks of treatment. In addition, the investigators anticipate that high intensity exercise based training alone will produce greater effects than low intensity exercise. Lastly, the investigators hypothesize that these changes in metabolic and insulin sensitivity will correlate with glycemic control (the ability to control blood sugar) and blood pressure changes.

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