Impact of Dietary Composition and Exercise on Functional Capacity and Cardio-metabolic Health in Male Rats

Abstract

A purified vegan diet known as “Daniel Fast” (DF) has attracted great attention due to its health-enhancing properties. However, the effects of this vegan diet combined with exercise training on physical performance and cardio-metabolic health remains to be established. PURPOSE: To determine the effects of a 12-week DF with or without endurance exercise training on body composition, physical performance, cardio-metabolic profile, and oxidative stress in male rats. METHODS: Long-Evans male rats (N=28) were assigned to be exercise trained (+E) by running on a treadmill (3d/week) or to act as sedentary controls. After baseline functional capacity was evaluated by recording run time to exhaustion, animals were randomly allocated to the vegan DF or a Western Diet (WD) group. Food was provided ad libitum for 12 weeks. Once post-intervention physical performance and body composition assessments [dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)] were completed, blood was collected for evaluation of cardio-metabolic profile parameters (glucose, triglyceride, and cholesterol) and a selected biomarker of oxidative stress [advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP)]. Analysis of variance (AVOVA) was used with significance set at p≤0.05. RESULTS: Body mass and body fat were lower in the DF+E group compared to the WD+E group (body mass: 478.7±11.3 g vs. 516.8±10.7 g) (fat mass: 100.7±7.4 g vs. 161.6±8.0 g). Physical performance was higher compared to baseline for both exercise groups, with a greater percent increase in the DF+E group (+81%) compared to the WD+E group (+36%). Concentration of blood glucose, triglyceride, and cholesterol was lower in the DF (129±9; 74±13.1; 74.6±4.3 mg·dL-1) and DF+E (113±3; 65.5±7.5; 67.2±5.2 mg·dL-1) groups than the WD (182±7; 477±67.9; 191±21.2 mg·dL-1) and WD+E groups (158±10; 408±57.7; 135.8±9.9 mg·dL-1), respectively. Further, the AOPP concentration was lower in the DF (67±15 μmol·L-1) and DF+E (50±7 μmol·L-1) groups than in the WD (573±53 μmol·L-1) and WD+E (413±56 μmol·L-1) groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: The DF with ad libitum feeding resulted in lower body mass and body fat accumulation, enhanced physical performance, and improved cardio-metabolic parameters with lower oxidative stress regardless of amount of calories consumed.