Influence of exercise training on tissue chromium concentrations in the rat

This study reports on the effects of exercise training on the chromium concentrations in the heart, liver, kidney, and gastrocnemius muscle of normal Sprague-Dawley rats. A pair-fed (to the trained rats' intake) and a preexperimental group were also studied in order to control food intake and to ascertain any age-related influence on tissue chromium levels, respectively. Four groups of animals were examined: exercise-trained, pair-fed, preexperimental, and sedentary control. Chromium determination was performed by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results from this study show that exercise training increases while pair-feeding and normal aging both decrease chromium levels in tissues. It is suggested that the male Sprague-Dawley rat adapts to exercise training by enhancing tissue levels of chromium or by simply maintaining the high levels of the element found at a younger age.