Physical exercise and reduction of Postprandial Lipemia: the influence of caloric expenditure

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Although the reductive effect of a single physical exercise (PE) session on postprandial lipemia (PPL) is controversial, studies indicate that caloric expenditure is the main determinant of PPL reduction.  OBJECTIVE: Test the hypothesis that a PE session based on caloric expenditure modifies PPL. METHODS: This is a prospective controlled intervention study, including a cohort of 18 men with average age of 22 ± 1.3 years and BMI of 21 ± 4.2 kg/m². All were irregularly active students, with fasting triglyceride (TG) values of less than or equal to 150mg/dL. They were submitted to two PPL tests: Basal (PPLB) and Exercise (PPLE). Blood samples were collected at time 0 (fasting) and after ingestion of a lipid compound (25g) at 180 and 240 minutes for TG dosing. In the PPLE test, a PE session on treadmill was applied shortly after the collection at 120 minutes, achieving an energy expenditure of 500kcal. STATISTICS: The medians of the variation (delta) between the TG values between fasting and 120min (?1), fasting and 240min (?2) and between 120 and 240min (?3) were compared. The bi-directional Wilcoxon test was used to compare deltas. RESULTS: The TG medians of ?1 respectively for PPLB and PPLE were 63 Vs.60 (p=0.95); ?2 102 Vs. 25 (p=0.02) and ?3 32 Vs. -10 (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: In this study, a physical exercise session based on caloric expenditure of 500kcal, after lipid intake, reduced the PPL peak in healthy youngsters.