Effects of prior exercise on the thermic effect of glucose and fructose

It has been previously observed that the thermic effect of a glucose load is potentiated by prior exercise. To determine whether this phenomenon is observed when different carbohydrates are used and to ascertain the role of insulin, the thermic effects of fructose and glucose were compared during control (rest) and postexercise trials. Six male subjects ingested 100 g fructose or glucose at rest or after recovery from 45 min of treadmill exercise at 70% of maximal O2 consumption. Measurements of O2 consumption, respiratory exchange ratio, and plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, glycerol, and lactate were measured for 3 h postingestion. Although glucose and fructose increased net energy expenditure by 44 and 51 kcal, respectively, over baseline during control trials, exercise increased the thermic effect of both carbohydrate challenges an additional 20-25 kcal (P less than 0.05). Glucose ingestion was associated with large (P less than 0.05) increases in plasma insulin concentration during control and exercise trials, in contrast to fructose ingestion. Because fructose, which is primarily metabolized by liver, and glucose elicited a similar postexercise potentiation of thermogenesis, the results indicate that the thermogenic phenomenon is not limited to skeletal muscle. These results also demonstrate that carbohydrate-induced postexercise thermogenesis is not related to an incremental increase in plasma insulin concentration.