Cardiometabolic plasticity in young Hispanic and nonHispanic white adults in response to diet and exercise

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) are more prevalent in Hispanics (H) than nonHispanic whites (NHW) in the US, suggesting that H may be less responsive to the same lifestyle intervention as NHW. We therefore compared the effects of a short term exercise and low saturated fat, low sugar diet intervention on T2D and MetS risk factors in H and NHW sedentary adults. Participants (20 NHW: 11F, 9M, age=23.0 y, BMI=25.5; 17 H: 13F, 4M, age=22.7, BMI=25.4) consumed their habitual diets and remained sedentary for 7 days, after which an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was performed. Subjects then completed a 7 day diet/exercise intervention (6 sessions, 40 min/session at 65% VO2 max) followed by a second IVGTT ~16 h later. Pre intervention insulin sensitivity (Si) was lower in H, improved proportionately with the lifestyle intervention, but remained lower than NHW following the intervention (IAUC µU*min/L pre, post: H = 2298, 1635; NHW = 1795, 1211). Despite lower Si, pre test lipids were no different in H compared to NHW, but improved in both groups (total cholesterol mg/dl: H: pre = 150, post = 135, NHW = 162, 147; LDL‐C mg/dl: H = 102, 97; NHW = 107, 95; Small dense LDL particles nmol/L: H: = 423, 393; NHW = 408, 349). These data suggest that despite higher risk for T2D and MetS, young H adults are as metabolically responsive as NHW to a short term diet/exercise intervention. Funding: CO Ag Expt Station (CLM, MSH) Grant Funding Source Colorado Agriculture Experiment Station