Metabolic effects of physical training in ovariectomized and hyperestrogenic rats

Département de Kinésiologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3C 3J7; and Gunma University, School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Maebashi-Shi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of regular endurance-type exercise on glucose tolerance and glucose-stimulated insulin response (GSIR) in ovariectomized (OVX) rats with and without estrogen replacement. To do that, OVX Sprague-Dawley rats were compared with an OVX estradiol-treated group (OVXE2) and a sham-operated (Sham) group. Each of these groups was subdivided into a sedentary and a treadmill-trained (8 wk) group. Intravenous glucose tolerance tests (0.5 g/kg) were conducted in all rats 48 h after the last training session. Plasma levels of 17 -estradiol and the uterus weight were significantly ( P