Can Acipimox enhance the health benefits of walking?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Can the health benefits of a walking-based exercise programme be enhanced by co-ingestion of a lipid-lowering drug?
IRAS ID
250408
Contact name
Sam Shepherd
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Liverpool John Moores University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
The accumulation of fat in skeletal muscle is linked with insulin resistance in obesity and T2D. However, fat also accumulates in the muscle of lean, healthy people, but they remain insulin sensitive. This is because healthy people are able to burn this fat to generate energy during exercise. However, overweight/obese inactive people can’t use muscle fat during exercise in the same manner, which is related to the high blood lipid concentrations that are observed in these individuals.
Acipimox is a lipid-lowering agent that specifically reduces the breakdown of fat in adipose tissue and has been shown improve the blood lipid profile of obese individuals and T2D patients, at least in the short-term (1-2 weeks). Our previous research has shown that the combination of Acipimox with exercise restores the ability of obese people to burn fat during moderate-intensity cycling exercise. We now aim to test whether improvements in insulin sensitivity and glucose control induced by a low-intensity walking programme are greater when each exercise session is undertaken following ingestion of Acipimox.34 people with prediabetes will first undergo a series of metabolic health measurements, including an assessment of fitness, body composition, insulin sensitivity, glucose control, and muscle and liver fat levels. We will also take muscle biopsies to investigate the mechanisms in skeletal muscle underpinning any changes in fitness and insulin sensitivity. They will then undertake 12 weeks of steady walking (3 times per week), with each session lasting 30-50 minutes. Half of the participants will undertake each exercise session having ingested Acipimox beforehand, whereas the other half will consume a placebo. After the intervention the metabolic health measurements will be repeated.
REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0251
Date of REC Opinion
24 Oct 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion