Exercise-Induced Increase in the Capacity of Skeletal Muscle to Oxidize Palmitate 1

Abstract

Summary

Rats were subjected to a 12-week program of treadmill running. Homogenates of gastrocnemius muscle from the exercised rats oxidized palmitate at a significantly greater rate than homogenates of muscles from sedentary controls. This finding indicates that the exercise-induced adaptations in skeletal muscle include an increase in the capacity to oxidize fatty acids. It is suggested that this adaptation plays a role in enabling physically trained individuals, as compared to sedentary, to obtain a greater proportion of the energy needed for submaximal exercise from fat.