Metabolic and hormonal effects of exercise in mild streptozotocin diabetes.

Metabolic and hormonal changes produced by muscular exercise were studied in rats with mild streptozotocin diabetes. In both diabetic and control animals the mean blood glucose increased and liver glycogen decreased during exercise. The postexercise blood glucose level correlated with the liver glycogen content in diabetic rats. A decrease of blood glucose occurred in some diabetic animals, and these also showed a decrease of liver glycogen to very low levels during exercise. During exercise the rise of plasma glycerol was higher in diabetic than in control animals, but changes in circulating free fatty acids, acetone bodies, insulin, corticosterone, lactate, and acid-base equilibrium were similar in the two groups. The results indicate that the only abnormal metabolic response to exercise in rats with mild diabetes is a slight increase of lipid mobilization.