The effect of moderate intensity exercise in the postprandial period on the inflammatory response to a high-fat meal: an experimental study

Abstract

BackgroundConsuming a high-fat meal (HFM) may lead to postprandial lipemia (PPL) and inflammation. Postprandial exercise has been shown to effectively attenuate PPL. However, little is known about the impact of postprandial exercise on systemic inflammation and whether PPL and inflammation are associated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether moderate intensity exercise performed 60 min following a true-to-life HFM would attenuate PPL and inflammation.MethodsThirty-nine young adults (18–40 year) with no known metabolic disease were randomized to either a control group (CON) who remained sedentary during the postprandial period or an exercise (EX) group who walked at 60 % VO2peak to expend ≈ 5 kcal/kgbw one-hour following the HFM. Participants consumed a HFM of 10 kcal/kgbw and blood draws were performed immediately before, 2 h and 4 h post-HFM.ResultsAt baseline, there were no differences between EX and CON groups for any metabolic or inflammatory markers (p > 0.05). Postprandial triglycerides (TRG) increased from baseline to 4 h in the EX and CON groups (p < 0.001), with no differences between groups (p = 0.871). High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased in both groups across time (p < 0.001) with no differences between groups (p = 0.137). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was significant as a quadratic function over time (p = 0.005), decreasing from baseline to 2 h then increasing and returning to baseline at 4 h in all participants with no difference between groups (p = 0.276). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was not different from baseline to 4 h between groups (p > 0.05). There was an increase in soluble vascular adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1) from baseline to 4 h (p = 0.027) for all participants along with a group x time interaction (p = 0.020). Changes in TRG were associated with changes in interleukin-10 (IL-10) from 0 to 2 h (p = 0.007), but were not associated with changes in any other inflammatory marker in the postprandial period (p > 0.05).ConclusionsDespite significant increases in PPL following a HFM, moderate intensity exercise in the postprandial period did not mitigate the PPL nor the inflammatory response to the HFM. These results indicate that in populations with low metabolic risk, PPL and inflammation following a HFM may not be directly related.

Postprandial lipemic and inflammatory responses to high-fat meals: a review of the roles of acute and chronic exercise

“…Once in the lab, a baseline blood draw is performed. In most studies, a cannula is inserted in a forearm vein to allow for easier repeated samples [76–78], although some studies do utilize repeated venipuncture [8, 79]. Following the baseline/fasting blood draw, the participant will consume the test meal.…”

“…After the meal is consumed, blood draw procedures are repeated for a given duration at a set frequency. Most studies assess the PPL response for four [78] to eight hours postprandially [76]. These blood draws are used to assess several metabolic markers, with triglycerides as the primary analyte assessed in most PPL studies.…”

“…Pre-meal exercise beyond 18–24 h prior to a HFM, likely has little effect on PPL. In addition to pre-meal exercise, evidence also supports exercise during the post-meal period as an effective means for attenuation of PPL, the majority of work in this area has suggested that exercise performed as far as 90 min into the postprandial period is effective for attenuating PPL [92, 93], however this evidence is conflicting [77, 78]. …”

Does chronic physical activity level modify the airway inflammatory response to an acute bout of exercise in the postprandial period?

“…The full experimental protocol has been previously published and is outlined here briefly (Kurti et al 2015; Teeman et al 2016). …”

“…An incremental test to exhaustion was performed on a treadmill (Precor 932i) using a standardized protocol for establishing peak oxygen consumption (VO 2 peak) previously utilized in our laboratory (Kurti et al 2015; Teeman et al 2016). During the test, heart rate (HR) was monitored using a Polar WearLink Coded chest strap HR monitor, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was reported using a modified Borg scale (0-10) to assess effort at the end of each stage.…”