Maternal Moderate Physical Training during Pregnancy Attenuates the Effects of a Low-Protein Diet on the Impaired Secretion of Insulin in Rats: Potential Role for Compensation of Insulin Resistance and Preventing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Figure 2

Glucose-induced insulin secretion in islets from rats submitted to a protocol of physical training four weeks before gestation and during gestation. During gestation, duration and intensity of each session of physical exercise were progressively reduced and each group received either 17% casein diet (C and T) or 8% casein (low-protein group, LP and LP + T) isocaloric diet ad libitum. Groups of five islets were initially incubated for 45 min at 37°C in Krebs-bicarbonate buffer containing 5.6 mM glucose. The solution was then replaced with fresh Krebs-bicarbonate buffer and islets were incubated for a further 1 h with medium containing 5.6 or 16.7 mM glucose. The values are presented as means ± S.E.M. ^∗P < 0.05 versus C group using two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni’s post-hoc test.