Exercise twice-a-day potentiates markers of mitochondrial biogenesis in men.

Victor Amorim Andrade-Souza, Thaysa Ghiarone, Andre Sansonio, Kleiton Augusto Santos Silva, Fabiano Tomazini, Lucyana Arcoverde, Jackson Fyfe, Enrico Perri, Nicholas Saner, Jujiao Kuang, Romulo Bertuzzi, Carol Gois Leandro, David John Bishop, Adriano Eduardo Lima-Silva

Journal: FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 2020;34(1):1602-1619

PMID: 31914620

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Plain Language Summary

Endurance exercise is a powerful stimulus affecting cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins, and genes encoding mitochondrial proteins, with a subsequent increase in mitochondrial biogenesis (ie, the generation of new mitochondrial components leading to increased mitochondrial content and respiratory function). The aim of this study was to investigate whether greater exercise-induced signalling with the “train-low” approach can be attributed to the cumulative effects of performing two exercise sessions in close proximity. This study enrolled eight healthy men whom each completed three experimental trials in a crossover, randomized, and incomplete balanced Latin Square counterbalanced measure design. Results show that the greater exercise-induced nuclear protein abundance and transcription of genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis with the “train-low” approach might be attributed to performing two exercise sessions in close proximity. Furthermore, the twice-a-day approach was associated with a higher heart rate, ventilation, and oxygen uptake, and a lower plasma glucose concentration, during high-intensity interval exercise than both the once-daily and the control condition. Authors conclude that further studies comparing different “train-low” approached in well-trained athletes are required.

Abstract

Endurance exercise begun with reduced muscle glycogen stores seems to potentiate skeletal muscle protein abundance and gene expression. However, it is unknown whether this greater signaling responses is due to performing two exercise sessions in close proximity-as a first exercise session is necessary to reduce the muscle glycogen stores. In the present study, we manipulated the recovery duration between a first muscle glycogen-depleting exercise and a second exercise session, such that the second exercise session started with reduced muscle glycogen in both approaches but was performed either 2 or 15 hours after the first exercise session (so-called "twice-a-day" and "once-daily" approaches, respectively). We found that exercise twice-a-day increased the nuclear abundance of transcription factor EB (TFEB) and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) and potentiated the transcription of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-ɣ coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARα), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor beta/delta (PPARβ/δ) genes, in comparison with the once-daily exercise. These results suggest that part of the elevated molecular signaling reported with previous "train-low" approaches might be attributed to performing two exercise sessions in close proximity. The twice-a-day approach might be an effective strategy to induce adaptations related to mitochondrial biogenesis and fat oxidation.

Address: Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Academic Center of Vitoria, Federal University of Pernambuco, Vitória de Santo Antão, PE, Brazil.; Department of Medicine, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MI, USA.; School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia.; Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.; Endurance Performance Research Group, School of Physical Education and Sport, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.; School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia.; Human Performance Research Group, Academic Department of Physical Education, Technological Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.

DOI: 10.1096/fj.201901207RR