The effect of a 3-month low-intensity endurance training program on fat oxidation and acetyl-CoA carboxylase-2 expression

Endurance training has been shown to increase fat oxidation both at rest and during exercise. However, most exercise training studies have been performed at high exercise intensity in well-trained athletes, and not much is known about the effect of a low-intensity training program on fat oxidation capacity in lean sedentary humans. Here, we examine the effect of 3-month low-intensity training program on total and intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG)- and/or VLDL-derived fat oxidation capacity and skeletal muscle mRNA expression. Six healthy untrained subjects (aged 43 +/- 2 years, BMI 22.7 +/- 1.1 kg/m(2), VO2max 3.2 +/- 0.2 l/min) participated in a supervised 12-week training program at 40% VO2max three times weekly. Total and plasma-derived fatty acid oxidation at rest and during 1 It exercise was measured using [C-13]palmitate, and in a separate test, [C-13]acetate recovery was determined. Muscle biopsies were taken after an overnight fast. Total fat oxidation during exercise increased from 1,241 +/- 93 to 1,591 +/- 130 mumol/min (P = 0.06), and IMTG- and/or VLDL-derived fatty acid oxidation increased from 236 +/- 84 to 639 +/- 172 mumol/min (P = 0.09). Acetyl-CoA carboxylase-2 mRNA expression was significantly decreased after training (P = 0.005), whereas lipoprotein lipase mRNA expression tended to increase (P = 0.07). In conclusion, a minimal amount of physical activity tends to increase fat oxidation and leads to marked changes in the expression of genes encoding for key enzymes in fat metabolism.