The effects of regular exercise training on the onset and/or severity of hyperglycemia were studied in female diabetes-prone Biobreeding/Worcester (DP BB/Wor) rats. At 38-39 d of age, animals were weight-matched and randomly assigned to exercise-trained (T) and untrained (Unt) groups. The T rats exercised on a rodent treadmill at a moderate workload, 5 successive days with the 6th day being one of rest. Training lasted 5-11 wk until rats became moribund. Red gastrocnemius muscle citrate synthase activity was significantly higher in T (54.2 +/- 4.7 mumol.g-1.min-1) compared with Unt (42.9 +/- 5.1). No significant difference was found between the T and Unt groups in the following: age at onset of hyperglycemia (T = 82.9 +/- 8.7 d; Unt = 82.0 +/- 13.5 d, mean +/- SD), ultimate level of hyperglycemia, age of death (T = 89.9 +/- 9.2 d; Unt = 89.4 +/- 13.9 d), number of days between onset of hyperglycemia and death, or body weights at the onset of hyperglycemia. No significant difference was found between groups in pancreatic insulin concentration (microgram.g-1 of protein), T = 0.22 +/- 0.04; Unt = 0.20 +/- 0.34. These data suggest that a program of regular exercise training may not delay the onset and/or reduce the severity of hyperglycemia in the DP BB/Wor rat. Regular exercise training had no beneficial or detrimental effect on pancreatic beta-cell destruction.