Regular Aerobic, Resistance, and Cross-Training Exercise Prevents Reduced Vascular Function Following a High Sugar or High Fat Mixed Meal in Young Healthy Adults

Abstract

The postprandial state can negatively influence flow mediated dilation (FMD), a predictor of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. This investigation was designed to determine the effect of regular aerobic and/or resistance exercise on postprandial FMD after a high sugar or high fat mixed meal. Forty-five healthy participants were recruited from one of four groups: lean sedentary (SED), runners, weight lifters, and cross-trainers. Participants were randomly crossed over to a high sugar meal (HSM) and a high fat mixed meal (HFMM; both fat and carbohydrate). Pre-and postprandial endothelial function was assessed for both meals using brachial artery FMD. Plasma lipids, insulin, glucose, hs-CRP, and SOD were also measured with both meals. Endothelium-independent dilation was determined via sublingual nitroglycerin. Brachial artery FMD was reduced in SED following the HSM (9.9 ± 0.9% at baseline, peak reduction at 60 min 6.5 ± 1.0%) and the HFMM (9.4 ± 0.9% at baseline, peak reduction at 120 min 5.9 ± 1.2%; P < 0.05 for both, Mean ± SEM). There was no change in FMD after either HSM or HFMM in runners, weight lifters, and cross-trainers. Post-prandial increases in blood glucose, insulin and triglycerides were less pronounced in the exercisers compared to SED. In addition, exercisers presented lower baseline plasma hs-CRP and higher SOD activity. Nitroglycerin responses were similar among groups. These results suggest that endothelial function is reduced in sedentary adults after a HSM or HFMM, but not in regular aerobic or resistance exercisers. This response may be due to favorable postprandial metabolic responses or lower postprandial levels of inflammation and oxidative stress. These findings may help to explain the cardioprotective effect of exercise.

Aerobic training and vascular protection: Insight from altered blood flow patterns

“…Although improving NO bioavailability and AO capacity could theoretically reduce the negative impact of acute vascular insults, recent work from our laboratory revealed that aerobically training individuals were equally susceptible as untrained control subjects to lower limb vascular dysfunction in response to a sustained reduction in anterograde shear (prolonged sitting) (Garten et al., ). This finding contradicts prior literature that has clearly reported vascular protective effects in aerobically trained individuals in response to other various vascular insults, such as high‐fat/high‐sugar feeding (Das et al., ), acute exercise (Hwang et al., ) and an acute exertional hypertensive bout (Phillips, Das, Wang, Pritchard, & Gutterman, ). This discrepancy in findings might be related to the aforementioned neutralization of NO resulting from negatively altered blood flow patterns.…”

“…The findings of the present study are in contrast to research previously identifying aerobic training as a factor that can reduce or protect against certain vascular insults. Indeed, prior research has clearly implicated a vascular protective effect in aerobically trained individuals in response to exacerbated postprandial glucose and triglycerides (Das et al., ) and acute bouts of increased arterial pressure (Phillips et al., ) when compared with untrained control subjects. The present study would therefore suggest that when the vascular insult placed on the vasculature involves negative alteration of blood flow patterns, the arteries of aerobically trained men are equally susceptible as untrained vessels to this type of insult.…”

Endothelial function following interval exercise plus low‐calorie diet treatment in obese females

“…This suggests that endothelial function changes are related to greater glucose utilization. We acknowledge while this later observation may seem counter‐intuitive at first, the reduction in FMD iAUC 120min may be due to the preservation of fasting FMD with exercise training (Das et al, ) or a re‐distribution of blood flow away from the brachial artery toward the microvasculature for increased delivery and use of glucose by skeletal muscle (Zheng and Liu, ). Indeed, it was recently demonstrated that resistance exercise training improved microvascular blood flow during an oral glucose load in obese adults with type 2 diabetes and this was independent of changes in postprandial FMD (Russell et al, ).…”

Decreased GlycA after lifestyle intervention among obese, prediabetic adolescent Latinos

“…Several studies support the notion that exercise training can reduce the chronic inflammation associated with obesity and insulin resistance in adults and children. 54–56 Although the mechanisms are unclear, there is evidence that skeletal muscle contraction during exercise stimulates the production and release of anti-inflammatory myokines that in turn inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. 57…”