Exposure to Normobaric Hypoxia Combined with a Mixed Diet Contributes to Improvement in Lipid Profile in Trained Cyclists

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the effects of live high-train low method (LH-TL) and intermittent hypoxic training (IHT) with a controlled mixed diet on lipid profile in cyclists. Thirty trained male cyclists at a national level with at least six years of training experience participated in the study. The LH-TL group was exposed to hypoxia (FiO2 = 16.5%) for 11–12 h a day and trained under normoxia for 3 weeks. In the IHT group, participants followed the IHT routine three times a week under hypoxia (FiO2 = 16.5%) at lactate threshold intensity. The control group (N) lived and trained under normoxia. The results showed that the 3-week LH-TL method significantly improved all lipid profile variables. The LH-TL group showed a significant increase in HDL-C by 9.0% and a decrease in total cholesterol (TC) by 9.2%, LDL-C by 18.2%, and triglycerides (TG) by 27.6%. There were no significant changes in lipid profiles in the IHT and N groups. ∆TG and ∆TC were significantly higher in the LH-TL group compared to the N group. In conclusion, hypoxic conditions combined with a mixed diet can induce beneficial changes in lipid profile even in highly trained athletes. The effectiveness of the hypoxic stimulus is closely related to the hypoxic training method.

Helpful to Live Healthier? Intermittent Hypoxic/Ischemic Training Benefits Vascular Homeostasis and Lipid Metabolism with Activating SIRT1 Pathways in Overweight/Obese Individuals

“…Moreover, we unexpectedly found that visceral fat mass was significantly lowered, indicating that IHT may be helpful to alleviate visceral obesity and further reduce visceral-obesity-related mortality and morbidity [ 3 , 35 ]. Some clinical trials also found that IHT has a positive effect on lipid profiles, and subjects of the IHT group tend to have increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and decreased total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides [ 36 ]. However, our results did not show significant changes in lipid profiles.…”