Skeletal muscle gene expression in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus undergoing calorie-restricted diet and recreational sports training - a randomized clinical trial

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a 12-week calorie-restricted diet and recreational sports training on gene expressions IL-15, ATROGIN-1 and MURF-1 in skeletal muscle of T2D patients. Methods: Older adults with T2D (n = 39, 60 +/- 6.0 years, BMI 33.5 +/- 0.6 kg/m(2)) were randomly allocated to Diet+Soccer (DS), Diet+Running (DR) or Diet (D). The training sessions were moderate-to-high-intensity and performed 3 x 40 min/week for 12-weeks. Gene expression from vastus lateralis muscle obtained by qRT-PCR, dual-energy X-ray and fasting blood testing measurements were performed before and after 12-weeks. Statistical analysis adopted were two-way ANOVA and Paired t-test for gene expression, and RM-ANOVA test for the remainder variables. Results: Total body weight was reduced in similar to 4 kg representing body fat mass in all groups after 12-weeks (P < 0.05). HbA1c values decreased in all groups post-intervention. Lipids profile improved in the training groups (P < 0.05) after 12-weeks. ATROGIN-1 and MURF-1 mRNA reduced in the DS (1.084 +/- 0.14 vs. 0.754 +/- 1.14 and 1.175 +/- 0.34 vs. 0.693 +/- 0.12, respectively; P < 0.05), while IL-15 mRNA increased in the DR (1.056 +/- 0.12 vs. 1.308 +/- 0.13; P < 0.05) after 12-weeks intervention. Conclusion: Recreational training with a moderate calorie-restricted diet can downregulates the expression of atrophy-associated myokines and increases the expression of anti-inflammatory gene IL-15.