Does Moderate Intensity Exercise in the Postprandial Period Attenuate the Inflammatory Response to a High‐Fat Meal?

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 minutes following a true‐to‐life HFM, would attenuate PPL and inflammation.MethodsThirty‐nine young adults (18–40yrs) 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, 2hrs and 4hrs post‐HFM for blood lipids and inflammatory markers.ResultsAt baseline, there were no differences between EX and CON groups for any metabolic or inflammatory markers (p>0.05). Postprandial TRG increased from baseline to 4hr in the EX and CON groups (69.1±48.5 and 82.9±72.9 mg/dL respectively; p<0.001), with no differences between groups (p=0.871). HDL‐C decreased in both groups across time (p<0.001) with no differences between groups (p=0.338). In the EX group, IL‐6 changed as a quadratic function (baseline=0.76±0.51, 2hrs=0.52±0.37, 4hr=1.0±0.71 pg/ml, p=0.005), but did not change in the CON group. IL‐6 and TNF‐α were not different between EX and CON from baseline to 4hr (p>0.05). In the EX group sVCAM‐1 increased 47.34±56.89 ng/ml, p=0.003, from baseline to 4hr, while the CON group did not. Changes in TRG were associated with changes in IL‐10 from 0–2hrs (r=0.467, p=0.007), but no other associations were found between change in TRG and change in IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, TNF‐α, sICAM‐1 or sVCAM‐1 from baseline to 2hrs or 4hrs postprandially (p>0.05).ConclusionsDespite significant increases in PPL following a HFM, there was no clear pro‐inflammatory response to the meal. Moderate intensity exercise in the postprandial period mitigated neither the PPL response to the meal, nor inflammation. These results indicate that in populations with low metabolic risk, PPL and inflammation following a HFM may not be directly related.