Aerobic or resistance exercise performed the previous day does not attenuate postprandial hyperglycemia-induced endothelial dysfunction in overweight/obese adults.

Abstract

Postprandial hyperglycemia (PPH) impairs vascular endothelial function (VEF). A single bout of aerobic exercise (AE) attenuates PPH-induced decreases in brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a non-invasive measure of VEF, in healthy adults for up to 17h post-exercise. Studies examining the effects of resistance exercise (RE) on postprandial FMD responses are lacking. We hypothesized that a single bout of exercise performed the prior evening would attenuate PPH-induced decreases in FMD, independent of exercise modality. In a randomized, cross-over design, overweight/obese adults [n = 11 (8 women); 22 ± 4years; 32.3 ± 5.8kgm-2] completed 3 separate trials: control (seated rest), AE (30min at ~ 60% VO2max), or whole-body RE (30min, 6 exercises, 3 × 10-repetition maximum). Each trial occurred 14-17h prior to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Brachial artery FMD and plasma glucose and insulin were measured prior to and at 30-min intervals for 2h following the OGTT. Repeated-measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests were used to evaluate differences within and between trials. Trials occurred 15.3 ± 1.0h prior to the OGTT. Relative to baseline, FMD transiently decreased (P < 0.05) at 30-60min post-ingestion, plasma glucose increased (P < 0.01) at 30-90min post-ingestion, and plasma insulin increased (P < 0.01) at 30-120min post-ingestion. No between trial differences were observed for FMD, glucose, or insulin. Aerobic or resistance exercise performed the evening prior to an OGTT does not attenuate postprandial decreases in brachial artery FMD in overweight/obese adults.