Targeting Vascular and Skeletal Muscle Health to Improve Quality of Life in Males and Females with Type 1 Diabetes

Over 300,000 people in Canada suffer from Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), a chronic condition whose incidence rate has been increasing in Canada every year by 5.1% (higher than the global average). While exogenous insulin injections allow those with T1D to live, it is not a cure, and those with T1D develop severe complications (kidney failure, cardiovascular disease). Strategies to regress the development of these complications, minimize healthcare system burden, and save the lives of Canadians are urgently needed.

Undertaking regular exercise is an obvious strategy for those with T1D and has many well-established health benefits. Despite these benefits, adults with T1D exercise less frequently due to fear of severe hypoglycemia and a lack of knowledge of effective exercise strategies. Adding to this complexity, the investigators have recently shown that males and females elicit differential impairments in skeletal muscle metabolism in response to T1D. These differences may extend to the peripheral microvasculature and may lead to sexual dimorphism in the health benefits of exercise for those with T1D. Ultimately, developing a healthy muscle mass, including microvasculature, will help mitigate dysglycemic and dyslipidemic fluctuations and improve insulin sensitivity.

The overarching purpose of this proposed study is to determine the impact of T1D on human skeletal muscle and its microvasculature over the lifespan in males and females, and its responses to exercise training and detraining.