Hypoxic Training Improves Normoxic Glucose Tolerance in Adolescents with Obesity

<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>This study aimed to test whether environmental hypoxia could potentiate the effects of exercise training on glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods</jats:title> <jats:p>Fourteen adolescents with obesity were assigned to 6 wk of exercise training either in normoxic or in hypoxic conditions (F<jats:sub>i</jats:sub>O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> 15%). Adolescents trained three times per week for 50–60 min, including endurance and resistance exercises. Oral glucose tolerance test, blood and morphological analyses, and physical performance tests were performed before and after the training period.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Results</jats:title> <jats:p>After training, hypoxia, but not normoxia, decreased the area under the curve of plasma insulin (−49%; <jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> = 0.001) and glucose levels (−14%; <jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> = 0.005) during oral glucose tolerance test. Decreased plasma triglycerides levels (<jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> = 0.03) and increased maximal aerobic power (<jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> = 0.002), work capacity at 160 bpm (<jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> = 0.002), and carbohydrate consumption during exercise (<jats:italic toggle="yes">P</jats:italic> = 0.03) were measured only in the hypoxic group.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title> <jats:p>Hypoxic exercise training was particularly efficient at improving glucose tolerance and insulin response to a glucose challenge in adolescents with obesity. These results suggest that exercise training in hypoxia could be an interesting strategy against insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes development in adolescents with obesity.</jats:p> </jats:sec>