Effect of endurance training on pancreatic enzyme activity in rats

The effect of chronic exercise on pancreatic enzyme activity and basal pancreatic secretion was investigated in rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups of ten rats each. In a trained (T) group, the animals were exercised on a treadmill at 35 m x min(-1) for 60 min, 5 days x week(-1). A free-fed control (C) group and a pair-fed control (PFC) group were kept sedentary. Food intake in the PFC group was restricted to the T group levels. After 6 weeks, pancreas wet mass per unit of body mass was significantly larger in the T group in comparison to the C and PFC groups. Protein content, and amylase and lipase activities of the pancreas were significantly higher in the T group in comparison to the C and PFC groups. Basal amylase but not bile-pancreatic juice volume was higher in the T group than in the other two groups. There were no significant differences between groups C and PFC in any of the above parameters. These results would suggest that pancreatic enzyme synthesis and basal secretion are accelerated with physical endurance training. This adjustment would be a beneficial adaptation to chronic endurance exercise, which requires a large energy supply from food.