The impact of intensified exercise training on insulin resistance and fitness in overweight and obese women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective To evaluate mechanisms of insulin resistance (IR) in overweight and obese women with and without PCOS and explore relationships between IR, fitness and body mass index (BMI) at baseline and following exercise intervention. Design Prospective controlled intensified exercise intervention study. Conclusions While intensified exercise improves insulin resistance in PCOS women, a higher IR persisted following exercise in PCOS women and a clear relationship between improved IR and improved fitness was not found. Therefore, other mechanisms of, and therapies for, IR must be explored in PCOS as IR remains higher than observed in non-PCOS controls.