Abstract Objectives: To evaluate cardio-metabolic health effects of active commuting and leisure-time exercise of moderate and vigorous intensity. Trial design: Single centre randomized controlled trial with repeated measures. Primary outcome: Peripheral insulin sensitivity . Methods:<\b>
Physically inactive, healthy, Caucasian women and men (20-45 years) with overweight or class 1 obesity (BMI: 25-35 kg/m2) were randomized in a 1:2:2:2 ratio to 6 months of no intervention (CON), active commuting (BIKE), or moderate (MOD, 50% VO2peak) or vigorous intensity (VIG, 70% VO2peak) leisure-time exercise. Exercise frequency was 5 days/week with a weekly exercise energy expenditure of 1600 kcal for women and 2100 kcal for men. Neither participants nor researchers were blinded to group allocation. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01962259 Results:<\b>
The study was completed in June 2016. 188 participants were recruited; of these 130 were randomized and 100 (CON n=16, BIKE n=20, MOD n=33, VIG n=31) completed follow-up testing. Peripheral insulin sensitivity was 24% (CI95% 6 to 46, P=0.01) higher in VIG compared with CON after 3 months and tended to be higher in VIG compared with BIKE (P=0.06). After 6 months, peripheral insulin sensitivity was increased by 20% in BIKE (CI95% 1 to 43, P=0.04) and 25% in VIG (CI95% 7 to 47, P<0.01) compared with CON and a strong tendency for an increase was seen in MOD (17%, CI95% -0.2 to 37, P=0.053).Conclusions: Active commuting conveys long-term cardio-metabolic health benefits on par with leisure-time exercise. Leisure-time exercise of vigorous intensity confers effects on peripheral insulin sensitivity at an earlier time point. External funding details The work is carried out as a part of the research program ‘Governing Obesity’ funded by the University of Copenhagen’s Excellence Programme for Interdisciplinary Research (http://go.ku.dk/). Additional funding was provided by the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, TrygFonden and Gerda and Aage Haensch’s Fond.
