PC-1 genotype and IRS response to exercise training

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the efficacy of exercise training as a means of insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) treatment is dependent on the PC-1 gene K121Q variants. A population of 84 abdominally obese Korean women was analyzed prospectively. Before and after a 12-week exercise (walking) training program, indices of body fatness including body mass index, percent body fat, and waist circumference, and cardiorespiratory fitness were measured. Total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), glucose, and insulin were measured in fasting venous blood. At baseline, KK individuals had significantly lower waist circumference (p = 0.019) and TC (p = 0.001) than KQ/QQ individuals did. In particular, compared with KQ/QQ individuals, KK individuals had significantly greater reductions in body weight (p = 0.002), BMI (p = 0.032), and fasting insulin (p = 0.042), and a greater increase in HDLC (p = <0.001), following the 12-week walking exercise program. This study suggests that the PC-1 gene K121Q polymorphism may modulate responses of IRS to exercise training, at least in this population.