Twelve weeks of voluntary wheel running restores glucagon sensitivity in middle-aged mice.

ABSTRACT: Aerobic exercise training is a potent intervention for the treatment and prevention of age-related metabolic disease, which is characterized by both insulin and glucagon resistance. Although insulin resistance is a key driver of metabolic disease in aging, glucagon signaling is equally critical in maintaining both glucose and lipid homeostasis, particularly during exercise. Previous studies have established the glucagon-sensitizing effects of exercise training in younger animals. Most studies in rodents use rigorous and carefully dosed forced exercise protocols. This forced exercise is a stressful paradigm. We implemented a voluntary wheel running (VWR) intervention to assess the effects of aging and exercise training on glucagon sensitivity. We initiated 12-wk of VWR in young adult (6-mo-

SUBMITTER: Marx TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12912789 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature