The Effects of Acute Interval Exercise and Strawberry Intake on Postprandial Lipemia

Raised postprandial triglycerides (TAG) and related oxidative stresses are strongly associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. Acute exercise and strawberry ingestion independently ameliorate postprandial lipid excursions and oxidative stress. However, the combined effects of these lifestyle interventions are unknown. We investigated whether acute exercise and strawberry consumption improved postprandial responses to an oral fat tolerance test (OFTT) in overweight/obese males.

Overweight/obese adult males underwent four separate OFTT (73 g fat, 33 g carbohydrate) with blood sampled at baseline and hourly for 4 h after OFTT. Two OFTT contained 25 g freeze-dried strawberries and two contained strawberry flavoring (placebo). Participants performed 40 min of submaximal high-intensity interval cycling exercise 16 h before one strawberry and one placebo OFTT and rested before the remaining two OFTT. Serum TAG was analyzed, and TAG area under the curve (AUC) and incremental AUC (iAUC) were calculated. Oxidative stress markers were measured at baseline and 4 h. Differences between conditions (strawberry/placebo and exercise/rest) were assessed using repeated-measures ANOVA.

Ten males (age = 31.5, interquartile range = 17.8 yr, body mass index = 29.9 ± 1.8 kg·m) completed the study. TAG AUC was 1.5 mmol per 4 h·L lower for the exercise conditions compared with the rest conditions (95% confidence interval [CI] = -2.3 to -0.8 mmol per 4 h·L, P = 0.001). TAG AUC was not different between strawberry and placebo conditions (95% CI = -1.3 to 0.6 mmol per 4 h·L, P = 0.475). TAG iAUC was 0.5 mmol per 4 h·L greater for the strawberry compared with the placebo conditions (95% CI = 0.1 to 1.0 mmol per 4 h·L, P = 0.021). There were no changes in markers of lipid related oxidative stress (P > 0.05).

Acute submaximal high-intensity interval cycling exercise appears effective in reducing postprandial lipemia in overweight/obese adult males. However, strawberry ingestion did not improve postprandial TAG.